A Lukewarm Latte and Coconut Milk
by Sinmora
Summary: Kara and Lena meet and fall in love before Lena's takeover of her family's company. In an effort to protect her, Kara distances herself from Lena until an article for CatCo brings them back together. Seeing that Kara has fallen into a self-destructive depression, Lena reinserts herself into Kara's life to try and bring the hero back from the brink before she abandons National City.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello, Lovelies! So, I've been super duper busy, but instead of writing a workshop submission, which is due in six days, for my next semester, this thing came out. I suppose it is a one-shot. Could be more. I have a million unfinished stories that I've promised you and no time to finish them right now. Let me know what you think of this one! I might extend it a little bit. Supercorp is my new obsession when I'm not being a professional writer. GUH and YAY all at once. I miss the immediate feedback from readers and haven't forgotten your loyalty! I shall return to my SwanQueen stories eventually. Promise. 3_

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 _I miss you._

Kara stared at the text. The newsroom buzzed around her, somewhere in the background, Snapper yelled his degrading yet accurate nickname, sounds of the city banged around in her super sensitive ears, Ms. Grant paced the floor above them in a huff at her new assistant, and Lena Luthor typed furiously on her laptop across town. Tip-tap. Tip-tap. Backspace seven individual times with excessive force. She'd not spoken to Lena in nearly six months, but Kara listened. She rationalized the invasion of privacy with the excuse of protecting Lena. It was a lie. Kara knew it was a lie. She missed Lena, but with the youngest Luthor now in the public eye, assuming her place at the helm of her family's multibillion dollar company, Kara knew it was only a matter of time before Lena needed Supergirl more than Kara Danvers.

Kara knew the day she met Lena that she'd have issues. Well, maybe not that day. She hadn't known who Lena was exactly until the next day. They bumped into each other at that fancy chocolate shop uptown where the price of parking made Kara want to check her bank account, but she'd broken Alex's arm under the influence of Red Kryptonite. Alex liked chocolate. Kara felt guilty. And then, Lena nearly toppled over when she turned from the counter and hit the solid brick wall of invincible Kryptonian with her chin on her chest. Kara caught her by the arms, saving people came so instinctively, so naturally. She'd never minded the sacrifices of becoming Supergirl because she never felt more like herself than when she was helping people.

Until Lena.

Lena who had waited outside that chocolate shop and took Kara's arm and demanded to be walked to her fancy red car, a Porsche Kara found out later. Lena who took her phone and enter her phone number as she bit her lower lip and texted herself so she'd have Kara's number. _Pretty blonde with the sad eyes buying chocolate._

"You think I have sad eyes?" Kara said. It hurt, but it was true. It was so damn true. And Lena saw it. Lena saw her.

"I think you have beautiful eyes, but that's a bit superficial to say without knowing your name, isn't it?"

"Kara Danvers." She checked her phone. "Lena."

"Kara." The sound of her name rolled off Lena's tongue, fell from those bright red lips.

Those lips that Alex hated, especially when she found out who Lena was. Those lips that touched Kara in places that still made her shiver when she thought of them there. Those lips that made her want to give up Supergirl, give up her secrets, give up… give up everything. Those lips took the pain away, and Kara wanted to stay lost there, would have remained blissfully normal under their sensations if she hadn't loved Lena. If Lena hadn't loved her, if Lena wasn't a Luthor, but Lena had made her decision and Kara let her go because the thought of the world without Lena was like a world without Alex, a world without air, a world like Krypton.

Maybe Lena's world felt that way without Kara. She'd not given a great reason for ending their relationship of eight wonderful months, focusing on her career, finally getting a shot at being more than Cat Grant's assistant. Lena tried to fix it. Kara saw the desperation in her eyes, felt the ache when she flew through the city at night and listened to Lena cry because she couldn't sleep. Kara wasn't sleeping either, so she flew. She knew Lena blamed herself, blamed her family's reputation. Kara knew Lena felt more unlovable than ever, but even as deeply as Kara loved her, needed her, still she kept her secret guarded. Alex thought she wasn't able to trust Lena, but Alex was wrong for once. If Lena found out who she was, she might not love her anymore – not because she was a Super and Lena a Luthor, but because she'd lied to Lena for nearly a year. That was Lena's only request: "Don't keep secrets from me, Kara." She knew Lena had been damaged by her family, Lex's madness. She talked about it sometimes, but even without saying much, Kara knew. Secrets and ultimatums had destroyed her sense of worth, her sense of self.

Kara should never have gotten involved with her in the first place, but she hadn't known Lena intended to take over Luthor Corp until a couple months into the relationship. She should have ended it then, but she had been selfish. She was selfish, and now Lena had one more wound to heal. Now, Kara had to sit in CatCo Plaza and pretend that everything wasn't aching while she held her phone in her lap and read Lena's text and ignored Snapper and listened to Ms. Grant fire another assistant.

"Yeah, I heard you," Kara said and stood up from the chair he had finally grace her with for an article that should have made him get on his knees and beg her to write another.

"What's wrong with you?" Snapper looked up from an article without raising his head, glaring at her above the frames of his glasses.

Kara noticed the silence and glanced around the room to find most eyes on her, some blatantly staring and others peeking from the corners of bent heads pretending to read something in front of them. She relaxed the grip on her phone so it didn't explode in her fingers and slipped into the pocket of her salmon colored pants. She pressed her palms flat to her thighs so they stayed straight and not balled into a fist.

"Nothing," she said, not quite able to remove the irritation from her voice even with a conscious effort.

Snapper raised an eyebrow and stared. Assessing the situation, she guessed. Kara had never spoken to him like before, she'd never spoken to anyone at CatCo like that before except Cat when she'd yelled at her. Making a decision, he flipped the article shut with a flick of his wrist and tucked it under his arm.

"The president is arriving in National City tomorrow to sign the Alien Amnesty Act," he said.

"You want me to cover the president?" Kara almost smiled, almost felt that vivacious joy she used to channel every day.

Snapper scoffed, his neck puffing like a toad. "No, Wilson was in a car accident on his way to interview Lena Luthor. Go. Report. She's expecting someone within the hour and agreed to one exclusive interview, and for whatever reason, she's chosen CatCo Media. If you screw up building a rapport with the most sought after celebrity in National City, not even Cat Grant can save your job this time."

"You want me to interview Lena Luthor."

"That a problem?"

Kara looked around, still aware of the magnifying glass the newsroom had on her. She grabbed her bag and left the room, swift but deliberate in her steps. She walked. CatCo Plaza and L-Corp wasn't that far away. The path wasn't unfamiliar. She'd walked to L-Corp a hundred times, at least, in the past six months. She'd not meant to the first time. The first time she had wandered there without realizing that she followed Lena's voice giving a presentation about a new product to a room of investors. She stopped at the coffee shop she'd found that day and ordered a chai spice latte with coconut milk for Lena. How would the world have reacted if they knew Lena was lactose intolerant and preferred coconut milk over almond and soy? If it had been Cat's, she'd have heated it with her heat vision before she stepped into the building. What would the world have said if they knew Lena liked lukewarm coffee but piping hot tea with cinnamon in the evening? Kara wished she could forget.

She presented her press identification to the security guard at the front door. "I'm with CatCo Media. Ron Wilson was in a car accident." The guard looked suspicious, made a call that Kara never bothered to eavesdrop on because she knew he was checking her credentials. She looked around the lobby, stone and marble and metal, a huge "L-Corp" sign in the middle. It felt cold. It wasn't Lena, these were the remnants of her family that haunted Lena every day. Another tall, beefy man approached her and motioned for her to follow. He remained silent in the elevator and all the way to the end of the hallway where he knocked and then opened a large wooden door. The entire top floor was carpeted and open and bright. Dark wood panels lined both sides of the hallway, plants with flowers or bright green vines were scattered at intervals that seemed intentional. This felt more like Lena, maybe she'd had it renovated when she assumed control of the company.

Kara jumped when the door clicked shut behind her. She stayed near it, afraid to move closer to the woman correcting some sort of contract with an eccentric fury that bordered hysterical. Lena's long, thin fingers were white from the pressure she pushed onto the papers. A shock of black hair hung beside her face, the rest behind her back, setting off the deep red of her blouse. Lines etched Lena's exhaustion into her pale face, and deep purple bruises hung beneath her eyes. Lena hadn't even bothered to hide the emotional toll of taking over L-Corp, of her silent heartbreak. She wasn't even able to give the world a reason for her haggard appearance because she protected Kara's privacy. This was a mistake. Kara turned to leave.

"Kara?"

Kara turned to the side, head bent. Some of the latte had bubble up from the plastic lid, staining it a tan color. She took a breath but it had little effect on her pounding heart and raised her eyes to Lena's desk. Lena still sat there, pen in hand, leaned forward in concentration. Her position remained rigid and alert, but she'd gone still. Kara turned fully to face her and crossed to the desk with heavy step, like walking through water. Lena's shimmering blue eyes followed her, shifting to the foam cup when Kara sat it at the top left corner of the contract.

"Ron was in an accident on his way here. I… should have texted you when I got assigned to the article." Kara twisted her fingers in front of her stomach, a nervous tick she'd picked up from Alex.

"Why bother coming at all? You know my thoughts on alien amnesty well enough to write a convincing piece." There was a bite in her voice, but Kara saw the shock, the pain, the unguarded moment.

Lena pressed her shoulders into the tall back of the black padded office chair, searching for composure as they stared at each other. Kara sat in the chair across from her, dropped her bag to the floor, rubbed her hands over her thighs. Every movement felt like she'd been drained of her powers and now functioned at the speed of a normal human. The spice of the latte lingered between them, and Kara breathed deeply, allowing the familiarity of the scent focus her. Her gaze lowered to Lena's lips, her tongue remembering the taste of cinnamon that she come to expect there.

"I support the Alien Amnesty Act. I think aliens should be allowed to live openly as much as humans deserve to know who among them are not human," Lena said.

"I know."

"I suppose that is enough for an article. Try not to butcher me in the media. I've a horde of reporters doing their best at that." Lena leaned her forearms on the edge of her desk and bent her head to the contract.

"Lena…"

"Don't, Kara."

Lena's eyes jerked upward, piercing Kara's with their intensity. Kara's chest and neck flushed in anger.

"Why do you keep texting me if you didn't want to see me?"

Lena leaned back again, pen between her fingers, and Kara felt a predatory survival instinct awaken in the woman glaring at her, mocking her. She dug her fingertips into her thighs and held her gaze steady, not willing to wilt under that stare.

"You're here to interview me, Kara," Lena said. Her shoulders eased, and the tension dissipated as Lena twisted her chair towards the window.

"It's my job!" Kara's voice dropped into a low, harsh whisper, careful not to alert the security guard outside the door of any sort of friction. Lena swallowed and closed her eyes, profile visible but shadowed in the bright light of the sun filtering through the glass.

"It's my job," she repeated and looked at her hands. "You wanted me to come because I wanted to be here."

"Is that so awful?" Kara blinked away tears and forced herself to look at Lena, to witness the destruction of her decision. Lena's eyes remained closed, head resting against the padding of the chair.

"No," Kara said because she wasn't sure what else she should say. "I'm sorry, Lena. I… I'm sorry that I hurt you."

"It's alright, Kara," Lena said and shifted the chair to fully face Kara. "Just tell me why. If you don't love me, if…"

"It's not that." Kara shifted to the edge of the chair. She held her muscles taut, battling the urge to flee. She owed Lena this conversation, it was the least she owed her. "It was never that."

"Why, Kara? I thought our relationship was strong. I thought… I loved you. I love you."

"I have secrets." There. She said it, and the world hadn't imploded, not yet anyway. "And I wouldn't have been able to keep them from you if I had stayed with you." Kara stared at her fingers as she twisted them.

Lena shifted, moved with smalls clicks of her black heels. She knelt in front of Kara and ducked her head, forcing Kara to lift her head. The warmth of Lena's hand on her knee spread through her body, igniting the want that Kara had put to sleep.

"Tell me your secrets, Kara." Lena touched her cheek. Kara leaned into her palm. She couldn't help it. "Tell me now so we can work through them, so…"

"I can't, Lena. Please." Kara took Lena's wrist in a loose grip and pulled her hand from her face, holding it for a moment, sliding her fingers beneath Lena's palm. "Your life could be at risk if you knew, and I… Please don't ask me to, not until you're sure you're ready to know."

Lena jerked her hand back, and Kara watched a myriad of emotions cross through Lena's eyes. "Who are you?"

"What?"

Lena pushed off the floor in one smooth, swift movement that belied the muscles and agility hidden beneath the feminine clothes and high heels. She stared down at Kara, eyes cold and unforgiving. Kara let her believe whatever awful thoughts ate through the last remaining thread holding them together, acid to cotton.

"Who are you, Kara? Did Lillian send you to watch me?" Lena crossed her arms, using their proximity to force Kara to lean back at an awkward angle just to look up at her.

"I would never hurt you intentionally," Kara said, careful to remain ambiguous.

"Get out," Lena ordered. It would have been less frightening if she'd yelled.

Kara picked up her bag and pushed her chair back, giving Lena space before standing. She stopped at the door and turned back. "I still have to write the article."

"Fine."

"Snapper is going to send me back here when you permit CatCo to interview you."

"Why should I allow you on the premises, much less in my office?"

"Lena… He's going to fire me if you don't," Kara admitted, quiet and shameful for the unspoken request. "Do whatever you think you should. I don't have any right to ask anything of you, but… I'm in your hands."

Kara put her hand on the door, tried to leave but couldn't leave it the way it was. "Your latte should be about the right temperature." She had nothing else to offer.

Kara walked away and left her future in a 12 ounce, lukewarm latte and coconut milk.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, Lovelies! Yes, okay, I'm into this story because I need some Supercorp loving in my life. Let me know what you think!

Song: I Loved You Dangerously by Charlie Puth

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Kara walked into the kitchen in a pair of light blue panties and plain white tank top. She used to sleep in ridiculously oversized shirts, comfy like a cotton cocoon, but now her desire to be desired was only one more change Kara failed to undo. She'd been complacent in life, even as Supergirl. She'd created Supergirl in search of something, something to fill the void she'd carried since the death of her entire world, everything she loved. Kara set a pot of coffee to percolate and went back to bed to stare at the ceiling until the alarm sounded to arise for work. The American human dream was a lie. It was all a lie, a fantasy of popular television shows. Moving to the city behind Alex had only made the loneliness deeper, her dependency on her sister stronger, even Supergirl needed Alex to work most effectively. She loved Alex for that, for everything she'd done, but she still felt like that alien child tripping along behind her new big Earth sister.

Crime had spiked a little when she met Lena, but she'd felt alive. It was the first real decision she'd made of her own accord. Even Supergirl had needed the DEO's approval, but Lena… Lena had been hers. For months she kept Lena from Alex, discovered by chance when Alex had had a bad day at work and had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for Kara to come home. Falling on top of her in a heated lip lock with Lena wasn't ideal first meeting conditions, but Alex took it well enough, too shocked and disoriented from losing an agent that night to care much about who Lena was. She wasn't shocked that Lena was a woman, no, Alex knew that Krypton functioned differently in regards to sexuality. People married according to caste that bound them to suitable matches between families regardless of sex or gender. She'd had girlfriends and boyfriends in the past. In her late teens, when her powers had fully emerged but she hadn't learned to control them yet, Kara was only more frustrated by the lack of sexual contact from the world around her for fear of hurting her partners. Alex and Eliza misunderstood her need for it, her openness with it, but they always tried to accept it. Earth lagged behind Krypton in evolution of the mind in so many ways, but her adoptive family gave her hope.

Lena had been the perfect blend of sexuality and emotion, darkness and curiosity of the world. Kara had known love before but had never understood what it meant to be in love. This was why Krypton discouraged love matches, she knew that now. Love matches created a stronger bond between two people than an individual and the good of the whole. Love matches made sacrifice meaningful, if not easy. Love matches made people crazed and lethargic all at the same time, made them lie in bed and stare at the ceiling.

Kara moved her head over the pillow, studying the art deco design in the ceiling of the old building. She loved her apartment. She'd loved it more when she came through the door after a late night of chasing dead leads to stories Snapper chided her for chasing and found Lena curled on the couch reading a book, the scent of a late dinner lingering. Lena cooked a lot, more than Kara had expected. Lena's food allergies, she thought at first, but then Lena had told her that the Luthor's cook had been something of a mentor and friend when she was a lonely child.

Sometimes Kara ate dinner, sometimes she skipped straight to the woman waiting for her. Those nights, she never bothered to go to bed, kneeling right there in front of the couch between Lena's knees with Lena's fingers tugging the hair at the back of her head. They hadn't spent every night together, but the nights they had, Lena never judged her apartment, her lifestyle, or paycheck. She was as comfortable in Kara's kitchenette as she was in the upscale penthouse that cost more a month than Kara spent on food in a year. Kara had never known what it meant to want to spend her life with someone who wasn't Alex. Alex was a given, always, and Kara had never really understood that a life partner was an option. She understood now. She understood what she'd lost, what she'd destroyed.

Tears slid into her ears, but she made no move to wipe them. The alarm buzzed, and she slapped the bed, a few inches from the device. Turning her head, Kara zapped with heat vision. It sparked, went silent, and the scent of burnt plastic wafted over the bed.

"Is that why you buy so many alarm clocks?" Alex said.

Kara looked down the length of her body and found her sister at the foot of the bed in her standard black pantsuit, one hand on her cocked hip, cup of coffee raised her mouth. She loved Alex's attitude, even if she was the dorkiest person she'd ever met, except maybe Lena. They were so very similar, but Alex had never tried to see that. Alex totally could have had a buddy to binge-watch Doctor Who with if she'd just given Lena a chance.

"What are you doing here?" Kara asked and resumed her staring at the ceiling.

Alex moved to the side of the bed, kicked off her ugly, clunky heels, and sat cross-legged looking down at her, sipping from her coffee. Kara remained compliant when Alex took her hand and held it in her lap. She just wanted Alex to go to work.

"I read your article that came out this morning," Alex said. "It's good, Kara."

"I know," Kara said. Alex smirked at her confident response and squeezed her hand.

"How was it? Seeing Lena again, I mean." Alex set her coffee on the side table, stretching without losing her grip on Kara's hand.

Kara sat up and scooted to the other side of the bed, pushing out of it. She felt heavy, everything felt so heavy. "You mean, how did it feel to see how much I broke her heart? It was great." She pulled on pants. She really wanted to stay in bed, but CatCo seemed less daunting than this conversation with Alex.

"Kara, you did the right thing. You've already saved her life twice," Alex followed her across the bed and sat on the edge.

Kara pushed both hands through her hair and pressed the heels of her hands into her temples. She felt Alex's eyes on her bent back that curved under the weight of her heavy shoulders. There was something wrong with her, in her brain. She'd never experienced emotions like that, not even after her world ended. She'd been too scared and fascinated by this cool new planet and language to think about what she'd lost, not until she'd begun feeling happiness again.

"I know," she said finally and let her arms fall limp to her thighs. They moved instinctually to button the capris khakis that Cat Grant hated but only held either side without tugging them together.

"Kara?" Alex touched one shoulder as she moved around her and took the other when Kara refused to look up from her unbuttoned pants. "Kara."

"Can we just…" Kara waved a hand between them. "Have a sister day?"

"Are you okay?" Alex ducked to catch her eyes when Kara dropped her head.

She pushed fingers into Kara's tangled hair and tried to smile, tried to comfort without understanding what her sister needed. It usually came so easily, and Kara felt guiltier that something had rattled their bond.

"I feel like I'm human. I feel weak, and… like I'm surrounded by Kryptonite admitters."

"Okay, I'm taking you the DEO." Kara nodded and let Alex sit her onto the bed. She watched Alex put on her socks and a pair of tennis shoes that didn't go with her pants. She slipped a jacket onto each arm with a tenderness that had tears spilling onto her cheeks and knelt in front of Kara as she zipped it. When Kara stood, Alex buttoned and zipped her pants. It felt good to be taken care of, coddled in a way only Alex was allowed to treat her. She leaned on her big sister heavily, an arm around her shoulder as Alex guided her onto the street and put her into the passenger seat of the DEO-issued SUV. It wasn't necessary, but it made them both feel better when Alex took control. Kara had never really been any good at it.

Kara stared out of the tinted side window the entire trip to the cave. She listened to Alex call Cat Grant directly and bypass Snapper. She never got sick, so Cat was surprised and frustrated but agreed to handle Snapper.

"I love her, Alex. I can't help it," Kara confided, staring into the vastness of the bright desert.

Alex sighed heavily and gave her thigh a little squeeze, leaving her hand there. "I know, Kara."

Alex never left her side during all the scans – brain scan and body scan and agility test. She was still as strong as ever, but her reaction time lagged to that of a human, and Alex took her to the mat more than once. Kara had to think hard about the effort of bending steel beams and punching through concrete pillars. It wasn't that Kara's abilities had diminished, it was just that she hadn't cared enough to block Alex that last time. What was the point? It wasn't like Alex was able to hurt her. One of the techs pulled Alex to the side, and Kara bent her head as she listened to their conversation outside the training room.

"Agent Danvers, there is nothing wrong with your sister physically, but I have a background in psychology. Has she suffered a major trauma recently because I would be more inclined to recommend a therapist than a fitness routine."

Alex looked through the glass as Kara raised her head. "You think Supergirl is depressed?"

"I'm not a psychologist, but if I had to guess…"

"Thank you." Alex nodded sharply, and the other woman took the dismissal with a returned nod and walked down the hallway. It needn't be said that this was to be kept quiet for the moment.

Alex crossed her arms, pulling herself together, and came into the training room. Her chest and neck were still flushed from their sparring. The sleek black look of her uniform comforted Kara. Alex felt most comfortable when she didn't have to hide. Kara crossed her arms, too, and looked at the floor.

"Will you take me home?"

Alex nodded and slipped her hand around Kara's upper arm, leading her all the way to the entrance of the cave and opening the door of the black SUV before she let go. Kara put on her seatbelt, looking down at her hands. Alex hovered at the door, mouth opening and closing a few times before she closed the door and rounded the vehicle. She stopped at the front and looked back towards the mouth of the cave as Winn came bounding out, flushed and excited. They had an alien doing something they shouldn't be doing. Kara raked a hand through her tangled hair and let out a deep breath. She unbuckled the belt and stepped into the heat of the desert.

"Kara, no. I'm taking you home." Alex held out her finger, resembling Eliza more than either of them would ever admit out loud.

"I'm fine. I can help," Kara said and headed towards Winn. "What's happening?" Winn looked between the two sisters.

"Winn! Now." Kara walked by him and into the cave to get her suit. He scrambled to catch up and fell into step with her.

"There is a… correct me if I'm saying this wrong… a Dokreali hijacking a shipment of radioactive materials just south of National City limits. Do you know the species?"

"A few tribes lived on a barren planet not far from Krypton when I was a kid. We used to ship resources to them. They scattered when we couldn't sustain them anymore," Kara offered, feeling powerful in the moment. There was something to do, a purpose.

"What would they want with radioactive waste?" Winn tapped at his iPad and followed her into the room where she kept her spare suit with the rest of the uniforms.

"Food," Kara said and pulled her tank top over her head. She dropped it to the floor.

"They eat nuclear, ah… uhh… you." Alex slapped the back of his head when she caught up, and Winn cleared his throat and turned his back.

Kara rolled her eyes when he glanced over his shoulder once at her naked torso and then ducked his head to the iPad. He still harbored his little crush on her. He knew nothing about her relationship with Lena. No one knew. She had Alex, she hoped Lena had someone to talk to about everything. Alex zipped Kara's suit and left her hands flat on Kara's shoulder blades, expressing her worry without speaking. Kara pulled her hair free of the collar and slipped off her pants and shoes. She slipped into her tights and boots and kept filling Alex in on the situation.

"You'll want to hang back. They have stingers that come out like a helgramite. If you don't die, you'll get cancer in a couple of years from the toxins. Meet me there."

"Kara, wait." Alex grabbed her arm and slipped an ear piece into her hand. Kara pulled free when she turned around and kept walking backwards.

"I've got this. I don't want your face to get melted in an acid spray." She put the piece in her ear and turned it on.

Alex inserted her own comm and turned it on to check efficiency before Kara took off. "Kara, if the yellow sun supercharges you, it might do the same for the Dokreali."

"I'll be fine, Alex." Kara grinned and jogged out of the cave and exploded into the air.

She wasn't fine. The Dokreali's spit ate through her super suit. He cared very little that her planet had sustained his race for decades. He was strong enough to pulverize her a little, and his radioactive acid left splotches all over her skin and singed her hair. She punched the tall, scaly creature in the stomach, flew him into the clouds and dropped him, and then sat on his back until Alex arrived. He was tough, bucking against her until she punched the back of his head a few times. The fall had only slowed him down. The Dokreali groaned beneath her, tried to push up, and Kara bounced a little, swinging a leg over his back to straddle him like a horse. Alex barely caught a snorting laugh behind her lips when she arrived with a team covered in hazmat protection. Kara rolled her eyes and stood up, covered in guck and exhausted but satisfied with the way the day had unfolded.

"His spit is really toxic. Don't touch him. I'll fly him back to the DEO."

Alex nodded once and flapped a hand signal at her team that Kara assumed meant for them to go do something else. "You okay?"

"I'm covered in alien snot that might eat a hole in my water pipes," Kara offered with a grin. It felt good to be needed, and Alex still needed her.

"Shower at the DEO. Let the government handle the plumbing," Alex said and tucked her gun between her elbow and side.

Kara laughed. For the first time in months, she laughed. "I'm not sure I trust the government that far."

"Hey now," Alex chided. They looked around as Alex's team secured the area. One of the drivers had already died, but the other was whisked into a waiting vehicle and taken away with dust flying and tires squealing. National City was visible on the horizon, and this road was busier than Alex preferred. Kara waited. "What Cooper said back at the DEO…"

"About me being depressed?"

Alex kicked the toe of her boot into the reddish dirt and cleared her throat. "Yeah, that. I think she's right, Kara. I've never seen you like this."

"Is it even possible? I mean, the yellow sun pretty much takes care of any physical problems and chemical imbalances, right?" Kara wasn't sure, and Alex had no way of knowing.

"You still feel emotions, Kara. You're not that different from a human," Alex argued, but her voice said that she had already determined to see Kara through this new situation, just as she'd always done. Alex was the home she needed most.

"I need to tell her the truth," Kara said, stepping closer but not touching her sister. "You know I do."

"Kara, you can't. I don't trust her."

Kara put her hands on her hips. "Then trust me."

"It's not my decision, Kara. If you reveal yourself to someone with her connections, you'll be putting this entire operation at risk. My life, Kara. My job, J'onn's, Winn. This is bigger than you. I'm so sorry that you're hurting, but…"

"Will you lock me up if I do?"

"Don't put me in that situation, and we'll never have to find out," Alex challenged. The agent softened and glanced around, checking her team's proximity, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know I would never let that happen."

"I know." Kara's chest deflated. She scratched at a scaly splotch of red on her arm through a hole in her suit. "I should get him back and figure out how to lock him up. I'm starting to itch."

"Be careful." They nodded and parted.

Someone approached Alex a moment later, probably waited for them to be done. "Ma'am, area is secure."

"Contact the company these trucks belong to and obtain a destination. We'll have to complete the route to keep this under wraps."

The man nodded and walked off. Kara smiled at her sister and hefted the Dokreali into the air and zoomed towards the cave. Alex must have radioed back and let them know about the chemical threat because she was met at the entrance by a swarm of agents in hazmat suits and some sort of neutralizing spray. They covered her, too, easing the itching beneath her suit and on her scalp and sent her off to the showers. Alex kept some supplies in a locker, and Kara helped herself to them, happy to get Alien mucus out of her hair.

When she made it back to the main rotunda of screens and monitors, Winn was lamenting the ruin of his creation and J'onn stared at him with his arms crossed. Kara's lips tugged into an almost smile. Her little family had gotten so big, and she loved them enough to protect it.

"I'm going home," she announced and slapped Winn on the back. "You'll fix it, right?"

"You might want to dress at home for a while," the tech genius whined and tossed the damp suit back onto the table.

"You're the best," Kara intentionally lightened her voice, almost mocking but still playful. It must have worked because no one looked at her funny.

"Good work today, Supergirl," J'onn offered with a nod. "Get some rest."

Kara flew into the window by her bed and started stripping off the pants and jacket, getting back down to her tank top and underwear. The toilet flushed, and she froze. The last time someone surprised her in her apartment, she'd been attacked by the Black Mercy creature. She looked around, checked the ceiling, sought comfort in the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. Kara moved to a spot of sunlight, charging her body while she was able before another fight. Would an intruder have taken the time to pee and wash their hands? Kara's hands curled into fists, body taut as the door opened.

"Lena?" The tension faded, and different kind of knot formed in her belly. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

The CEO stood just outside the bathroom door and crossed her arms over her chest, cool and collected. Lena was mostly always cool and collected. It drove Kara insane.

"I went to CatCo to speak with you, but they said you had taken a sick day. You're never sick. I still have a key," Lena explained.

"I was at Alex's," Kara covered her wet hair quickly and looked down at herself. She thought she should have felt self-conscious with so much skin showing.

Lena's eyes followed, taking in the splotches covering her body. "What happened?"

Kara shrugged. "Some sort of allergic reaction, I think. Why do you care? You made it clear the other day that you didn't want me around." Kara crossed her arms, tipping her chin upward just a little. She looked more confident than she felt.

Lena raised an eyebrow and stepped into the open space, taking a wide berth around her into the kitchen area. "I brought some lunch. I wasn't sure what you like when you were sick."

Kara followed her, arms going limp to her sides as she looked over the array of food items on the island counter. Lena looked at her reaction for a moment, twirled sharply, and moved to the sofa to collect her jacket. Kara watched her.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Kara asked, following Lena again. Like a puppy, she thought. She couldn't help it.

Lena folded the coat over her forearm and pressed it into her belly. "I wanted to thank you for the article. It's great press, something I desperately need, I'm loathe to admit."

"You're welcome. I told you, I'd never hurt you intentionally," Kara mumbled, crossing her arms, uncomfortable without something to fight.

Lena looked at her, studied her, and Kara squirmed under the gaze. "I don't recall ever seeing you without your glasses."

Kara touched her face, a surge of heat going through her. "Oh, uh, yeah, I… Umm… well, it's… thank you." All of the heat in her body gathered on her neck and chest. Kara scratched an itchy patch on her shoulder.

"Why are you thanking me?" Lena said with a smirk that felt too familiar to ignore. Kara laughed and scratched her forehead. Lena watched, grinned. This felt nothing like their meeting two days ago, no tension or anger or hurt. It just felt like them. Kara flushing, Lena teasing, never taking anything too seriously for fear of getting lost in it.

"For the food. I won't have to cook for days," Kara said and waved a hand at the counter.

"You forget that I've seen you eat. You'll be ordering Chinese by tonight," Lena joked.

Kara smiled and nodded. "You're probably not wrong."

Lena shifted her weight, and Kara understood that their meeting had come to an end. "You're welcome at L-Corp any time you'd like to interview me."

Kara's gaze lingered over her face, looking for the anguished woman she'd seen two days prior. She wasn't there, at least she wasn't so profoundly exhausted. Kara nodded and tried to smile. This was a start to something different, a way to move forward, a way to keep Lena close without putting her in danger. She took it. Lena never offered to return the key to her apartment, and Kara refused to ask for it.

"Thank you."

Lena gave her a smile, eyes narrowing with the force of it. There was still so much more to say, more to work through, but neither of them knew how. Lena let herself out, and Kara watched her go before grabbing a bag of food and settling on the couch for a day of television. The knot in her belly had eased, and for the first time in so long, she felt something other than dread and guilt.


	3. Chapter 3

And another. Thank you for all the reviews and follows, my lovelies. This tiny tale to ease my writing block has turned into quite the story.

Song: Wildwood by Fleurie

* * *

Lena stepped onto her balcony on the top floor of L-Corp. She wanted to go home, but she always met with overseas investors Sunday evening at ungodly hours. The air in the middle of the night had cooled from the humid day and the wetness lingering in it cleared her head with each breath. It made her miss Greece where she'd spent most of the past decade and the little cabin in the Alps where she'd spent many summers as a teenager with a woman learning how to ride and train horses. Anything to get away from the Luthors, but she had enjoyed her time spent away from cities. National City's air never tasted like green things, but this time of the morning was as close as it ever got. It was quite nice, mostly silent in the business district, but the bright lights obstructed too much of the night sky. She longed for her penthouse that overlooked the city, above the pollution of the intercity streets.

A shadow moved in the distance, and Lena thought it was a bat at first. As it came closer, it transformed into a human shape. Supergirl hovered on the other side of the balcony at the edge of the shadow untouched by the dimmed lights in her office. Lena smiled and folded her arms over the round, metal railing.

"I've no need of saving," she said when Supergirl made no indication she would speak first, gauging her mood maybe.

The hero came closer and held out a foam cup. Lena looked at the cup and then into Supergirl's kind blue eyes. The hero appeared to be waiting for something, maybe she needed a favor. Lena took the cup and sipped from it, reveling in the taste of her favorite caffeinated beverage delivered at the perfect temperature.

"Kara Danvers asked me to bring that to you and said you'd be here tonight. She hopes you won't be angry at her for divulging one of your weaknesses," Kara tried to sound light, maybe even flirty. Definitely flirty.

Lena raised an eyebrow and took a second drink, heartier than the first. "I wasn't aware you ran errands for Kara Danvers."

Kara hovered just out of Lena's reach, letting the light illuminate her. "Kara is a friend."

Lena held the cup in both hands over the balcony and looked past Supergirl to the lights of the city, a car moving a few streets over. Her chest expanding with a crisp breath of air. She took two more. Supergirl waited, watched her.

"And am I your friend, Supergirl?" She asked. She was tired. She was lonely. She ached, and she liked the way Supergirl looked at her. She and Kara shared the same shade of blue in their eyes, which shouldn't have surprised her since she knew they were the same eyes.

"If you'd like to be," Supergirl answered, not even a hint of playing into her seduction. The flirtatious lilt dropped from her voice. She wasn't there for that, Lena guessed. "I know about your relationship with Kara. You should know she never meant to hurt you."

Lena's left eyebrow jumped, and she looked down at the cup in her hands. Her shoulders curled in, exhausted under the weight of the conversation. Kara tried so hard to keep her life separate from Supergirl, Lena hadn't the heart to tell her that she'd known her secret for almost a year. If Kara refused to trust her, it hadn't mattered that she knew anyway. Even in her superhero persona, Kara's energy enveloped her, a hug or balm, the warm sun peeping around the clouds after a cold rain and warmed her face.

"I accused her of working for my mother," Lena said, still looking down because she wasn't sure how Kara failed to see the way she looked at her, Supergirl or Kara Danvers. "I know she's not that manipulative. I shouldn't have attacked her. How is she, really?"

Supergirl crossed her arms, shoulders squared, protecting herself. Lena almost felt guilty for the slight manipulation. Was it fair to ask Supergirl to speak candidly in regards to Kara Danvers? "She's in pain. She loves you, Ms. Luthor. She asked me to come here, to make sure you had someone to talk to because she knows how much you're hurting, too."

Lena pushed a puff of air through her nose and took another drink of the now-cold latte. "You've saved my life twice. You can call me Lena."

Lena looked at her, knowing the woman hovering in front of her had saved her many more times than that. Without Kara, she never would have taken over L-Corp. She wouldn't have had the guts, the strength. She knew Kara had stayed with her as long as possible, loving her, supporting her until her public takeover of the multibillion-dollar, international conglomerate. She trusted no one more than Supergirl to protect her while she took down Lex's enemies and followers one at a time. Perhaps then, after all the blood had soaked the earth, Kara would trust her enough to share herself completely.

"Will you take me somewhere, Supergirl?"

Kara nodded and came closer. "Where would you like to go?"

Lena drained the cup and set it on the concrete floor of the balcony. When she stood straight, Supergirl stood next to her, an arm's length, but so very close and silent. The blonde hero swallowed hard enough for Lena's human ears to catch it, stepped forward and lifted her easily with one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. Lena draped her arms over Kara's shoulders, fingers in her silky hair.

"I want to see the stars," Lena said, leaving that open for interpretation.

Supergirl nodded and lifted off the balcony easily going straight up into the night until the lights of National City were merely a blip below them. Kara rose slowly, letting her adjust to the new elevation. Still, her blood hummed under her skin, making her dizzy.

"Are you alright?" Supergirl whispered next to her ear. It was so still at that height, so quiet. Lena pressed her forehead into her cheek and nodded.

"I'm a little dizzy," she confided.

"I've got you," Kara assured her, pulling her body closer, tighter, even though it would have taken a missile blast for Kara to let go of her precious cargo.

"I know," Lena said.

She took a breath and looked higher into the sky. The Milky Way glowed green and orange in the unobstructed view of a sky full of stars. Lena sucked a sharp breath, grip around Kara's shoulders loosening in the wonderment. She was aware of Supergirl's curious gaze on her face, but there was no way to approach the conversation without pushing Kara too far. If this was all she ever had with Kara, Supergirl, she had decided to take it. After a few minutes, Kara looked up at the lights shimmering above them.

"What would Kara say if she knew you flew her ex into the stars?" Lena teased. Her eyes darted to Kara's face in time to catch the hint of a grin. She rolled them back to the sky above them.

Kara had no clue how to answer that. This was a sort of romantic thing that Lena had asked of her. Well, the romance was in Supergirl's decision to take them so high up instead of out to a desert cliff somewhere. Lena felt the heat of a blush come off Kara's neck and smirked as she rested her temple against Kara's cheek. With some wiggling, she tucked her face into the crook of Supergirl's neck. She listened to the strong, steady thumping under the scratchy suit and closed her eyes.

"I think Kara would want you to be happy regardless of the situation," Supergirl finally said.

Lena grinned without opening her eyes and slipped her hand around Supergirl's neck. When she brushed her thumb beneath Kara's jaw, she felt a shudder in the body supporting her weight in the sky.

"You shouldn't come onto me, Ms. Luthor. We can never be anything more than friends," Supergirl warned her.

"Because of Kara?"

"Because my life is too complicated to put you at risk. It is enough that your enemies and your brother's followers know we are involved as much as we are."

Lena clicked her tongue and raised her head to glare at the other woman. "Kara says that, too, that her secrets would harm me. What of my secrets? Hmm? I'm a Luthor for god's sake. I'm one of the most dangerous people in the world to love, and I've not fled in terror. How is it fair that I should be willing to risk everything, but she isn't?"

Kara looked back towards the sky, afraid that she might look at Lena's lips so close, that she might kiss her. She would have, if the conversation weren't as such. "You know loss, Ms. Luthor. Kara knows more."

"And what of your loss, Supergirl? Your entire planet, your family and culture, it's gone. Do you run from those you love in fear for their safety?"

Lena kept a level gaze on her, and Supergirl kept her eyes turned upward, hiding herself in the darkness of the night. She waited. Kara stared. When Lena thought she'd pushed too far, Supergirl clenched her jaws, dropped her head, and said, "Yes."

"You must allow someone close to you. A person goes mad without love to stabilize them after such a trauma as yours," Lena probed, pushed.

"The human family I was placed with when I arrived on Earth are wonderful people who loved me instantly. They saved me," Supergirl confided. It was the most a she'd ever said to someone outside of her alien-fighting circle at the DEO. Alex was going to kill her if it got out somehow. She'd never told Lena she was adopted, not as Kara Danvers.

"You're not supposed to speak about this with anyone, are you?"

Supergirl shook her head. In the close proximity, Lena saw the taut contours of Kara's anguish hidden beneath the perky exterior. Even in the darkness, the blonde girl with the sad eyes looked more defeated than the day they'd met. It was unmistakable, undeniable, and Lena wanted to scream at the people close to Kara for ignoring how much pain she carried around with her. Lena touched her cheek, applying a bit of pressure until Supergirl raised her head and met her eyes.

"I trust you to protect me. I'm not afraid to be close to you," Lena whispered in the stillness. Panic flickered to life in Kara's eyes, and she added, "Or Kara." The panic settled. Kara wasn't ready.

"Your phone is ringing," Kara said, finding a way out of the conversation. Lena accepted the end of their evening and remained silent as Supergirl floated easily back to the balcony of L-Corp and set her feet on the floor. Lena wobbled for a moment, her body protesting the drastic changes of elevation. Kara held her by both arms until she steadied. Her computer buzzed again with a phone sound effect, letting her know that the investor in France attempted to call again.

"I should go," Lena said.

Supergirl nodded. "If you need me, just say my name." Supergirl took off from the balcony and disappeared into the city.

Lena watched her until she disappeared behind a building. She waited for her to reappear on the other side, but Kara never emerged. "Kara," she whispered, watched. Nothing changed. Her computer rang. Lena turned her back and set her shoulders for the task at hand.

Lena partially focused on the video conference, quick-witted enough to have danced through this meeting in her sleep. Six months. She'd been at the helm of this company for six months and still the investors who worked with Lex feared she might cut ties with them. Some she kicked to the curb almost immediately, filling their void with new board members and investors who shared her vision of L-Corp as a responsible and moral corporate conglomerate. Those willing to conform to her plan for the company were welcome to hang around and see if she could overcome the massive obstacle course left by her family's legacy of insanity and megalomania.

The rest of her attention looked through different types of bouquets available on various florist websites. She decided on plain white lilies and a simple clear vase. Lena entered her credit card information from memory and hummed in the right places for the room of men on her screen.

"I'm not sure moving ahead with any new projects is the best option, Ms. Luthor," one of them said, and her attention zeroed into the meeting.

"I disagree. Our stock prices have stabilized after Lex's arrest, but they've not improved. I think now is the perfect time to introduce new products that shape the image of what this company embodies. Green energies are huge right now and have the most positive feedback in consumer reports. I'd like to shift our medical unit to developing cutting edge instruments that make surgery less invasive, more accurate, and cheaper for the consumer. I've taken the liberty of interviewing medical professors and researchers in the preparation of this step. I won't deny morbid curiosity has played a part in the level of interest I've received from applicants in all departments, but I'm going to use my family's name to my advantage for once and snap them up while they're interested. My goal is innovation, which means I'll have to spend money in order to increase our return."

Lena leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Surely you've all obtained a business degree at some point. Are you hesitant because I'm a Luthor or because I'm a woman?" She grinned as the men on the other side of the screen shift uncomfortably and the women tried desperately to hide their smirks. Lena tired of it after a moment and scratched her forehead.

"If I've stayed awake until three in the morning simply to give a basic economics lesson that would bore a freshman undergraduate, I'm officially declaring this meeting adjourned and going to bed."

Someone muted the sound on the other side. Lena rolled her eyes and returned to the webpage with her half-completed information entered. She finished the order, clicked on the little box that said in bold, italicized letters, " _PERSONALIZE YOUR GIFT WITH A HANDWRITTEN MESSAGE."_ Lena's hands hovered over the keyboard for a moment.

 _Thanks for the coffee. –L_

It seemed as good a message as anything else. Kara had let her back in, and if she pushed too hard, she knew how quickly Kara shut people out. It hardly seemed fair, but very little in her life had been fair. The sound of the other room resumed, and Lena finalized the order.

"Send us proposals for the new products you have in research and design," a man said.

Lena grinned and shifted her chair side-to-side. "You'll have them within the hour as well as profiles of the scientists leading them."

"Very good."

"Excellent. I'm glad we've come to an agreement," Lena said with as much sugary sweetness as she had left.

"You gave us little option, Ms. Luthor."

"Well, I suppose adhering to some Luthor traditions works in my favor. I expect to hear back from you by the end of the week."

After a few pleasantries that nobody wanted to exchange, Lena ended the call and stood, smoothing out her skirt. She collected the cup from the balcony and tossed it in the trash, locked the door, and shut off all the lights. A security officer escorted her from the elevator to her car parked out back in the garage. The drive to her penthouse took only a fraction of the time without the usual traffic, another thing she loved about early morning meetings. At home, she took another security elevator to the penthouse floor with a swipe of her pass card and stepped off of it directly into her living room. She knew the layout by heart and stepped confidently through the darkness of the space, heels clicking on hardwood floor. By the bed, she left a rumpled pile of expensive clothes and slipped between the sheets bare-bodied and exhausted and wide awake.

Kara had come to her, not as Kara but as Supergirl. The meeting provided more questions than answers. On one hand, Kara wasn't ready to divulge her secret, to trust Lena with the complexity of her life. On the other, she'd opened up a little, as Supergirl, but nonetheless, Kara wanted reconciliation. Patience had never been a steady virtue, but for Kara, Lena vowed to give it a shot.


	4. Chapter 4

Kara jogged through the halls of CatCo, irritated that an early morning pile-up on the bridge had made her late, but she'd saved that woman's life, so it was worth Snapper's glare. How was a person late with super speed? She managed it more than she felt comfortable admitting. She rounded the corner of the newsroom and smacked into Snapper heading out to his office. Kara snagged his Danish out of the air still in the wax paper wrapping and managed to keep him from toppling over from her strength. He grunted, glared at her, and slapped the pastry out of her hand. She gave him the best Sunny Danvers smile she had and held out the article she'd written after visiting Lena. She really only needed sleep for mental clarity since the she pulled her energy from the sun, but after the previous night with Lena, she felt clearer than she had in months and so very motivated.

"What's that?"

"The article you asked for about the City Council meeting on the alien anti-discrimination ordinance they'll be voting on next week," Kara explained and held it out just a little further.

"That's not due until tomorrow," he said. His eyes narrowed at her but he took the article and tucked it under his arm. "You have an admirer."

"What?" He tossed his head in the general direction of her chair, and Kara looked over his shoulder to many discreet stares from her coworkers and a vase of lilies in front of her chair. "Oh." She fiddled with her glasses, giggling to hide her blush which only made it more pronounced.

Snapper rolled his eyes and released an exasperated sigh. She was the last thing he'd imagined in a reporter, but she was good. "Go interview Lena Luthor to add to this series. Her name sells papers."

"What?" Kara stopped messing with her glasses and looked up at him. He rolled his eyes and left the room, shoving pastry into his mouth. Kara stepped into the room, keeping her head down as she crossed to her chair and pulled the card from a tiny clothespin clipped to a ribbon around the vase.

"Who's L?" Annie Guickan asked. Kara liked her well enough. She'd been kind and hadn't mind mentoring Kara a little. The chair next to hers had become Kara's.

"L is… complicated," Kara said, unable to hide her grin.

Annie winked at her. "Whoever L is, it's nice to see you smile again, Danvers."

"It's nice to smile again," Kara admitted and tucked the card into her pocket. She squeezed Annie's shoulder and pulled out her phone with the other. She texted Lena, asking to set up the interview.

"Kara!" Cat Grant's voice startled the entire room, and Kara looked up to find her boss in the doorway with a hand on her hip.

"Yes, Ms. Grant?"

"Oh good, your mysterious illness hasn't killed you or made you deaf. I need you upstairs today." Kara snagged her bag and moved back towards the door.

"If you stopped firing assistants, you wouldn't have to come all the way down here to get me all the time," Kara said, playful, the way she and Cat used to speak to one another. She surprisingly missed her former boss. Cat had been so much more than that – a mentor and confidante and friend. Cat had made her feel special in so many ways.

"If you hadn't hired a string of incompetent applicants, I wouldn't have to fire them," Cat snapped back and crossed her arms, a hint of levity in the slight raise of her lip. She'd missed this, too.

"So, it's my fault."

"Weren't you listening?"

They stepped into the hallway together. Kara's phone dinged with a message, and Cat read it, too, as they stepped into the elevator. Kara pushed the right button without looking up from her phone and tapped out a confirmation that she could meet Lena that afternoon.

"I have been chasing Lena Luthor for an expose for months, and you have managed to procure two interviews in as many weeks." Cat sounded irritated, which meant Kara had managed to impress her.

"Can you blame her with as much bad press she's been getting? I didn't know how many news outlets were loyal to her brother's anti-alien views," Kara said. A quick anger flared in her chest, and she took a breath.

Cat crossed her arms and looked at her. The doors of her private elevator opened and closed, still she stared. Kara shifted from one foot to the other and twisted her hands. Cat had always seen through her bubbly disposition to the woman underneath, the sexual being, the person who felt pain and chose to embrace joy. Cat was a lot like Lena. She loved Cat in a different way, but she still loved her. Cat's eyes narrowed, held her shifty gaze.

"Kara?"

"I just think we should leave her alone and see what she's going to do before judging her. That's all," Kara said and folded her arms over her belly, not defensive just uncomfortable.

"That's all?"

"That's all," Kara said with a nod. She hoped her voice sounded more convincing than she felt.

Cat opened the elevator and stalked to her office. Kara fell easily into the routine of fetching layouts and coffee and making appointments. She kept an eye on the clock, coiling tighter in anticipation with each passing minute. She wanted to be downstairs, smelling her flowers and dodging knowing glances from other reporters. She pulled out her phone and reread Lena's text a hundred times or more. _See you then. :)_ She felt Cat's eyes on her all morning, but she managed to tune her out for the most part. When one o'clock rolled around, Kara took a breath and went into Cat's office.

"I have to go meet Ms. Luthor," she said at the door and turned to leave.

"What's going on between you and Lena Luthor?" Cat asked. Kara glanced over her shoulder to see who might have heard and shut the door. Cat stared her down from the perch of a throne that her office chair had become. "I know you, Kara. I know what your moony, lovesick ticks are, and I want to know what's going on."

Kara moved as close as the coffee table, hands limp at her thighs. "What are you talking about?"

Cat narrowed her eyes in the way that made Kara squirm, and she twisted her fingers twice, dropped her hands again. She managed the courage to look into Cat's eyes when she fiddled with her glasses. She'd forgotten how much Cat affected her.

"Kara," Cat warned.

"Ms. Grant, there is nothing going on. Lena Luthor is an excellent source, and she sells papers. I want to make sure she doesn't slip away from us because she won't talk to anyone else. Right now, she's talking to me." It sounded good, Kara thought. It was a blatant lie, but it sounded good.

"Uh huh. Run along," Cat dismissed with a wiggle of her fingers. Kara backed up a couple steps and battled the urge to run while Ms. Grant let her off the hook.

Kara stopped at the coffee shop and bought a coffee for herself and Lena. Security waved her through at the door of L-Corp, and Kara found her way up to Lena's office unescorted. "She's expecting you," Lena's assistant said when she stopped at the desk. Kara thanked her and again when she opened the door for Kara since she had two handfuls of coffee.

The scent of spicy food wafted around her the moment she stepped into the office. A couple different bags of food set on the small table near the couch. Lena hovered over a contract or some other tedious document splayed over her desk. She looked up and smiled and then scribbled a note onto the page, laying her pen there to mark her place. Kara waited in the middle of the room and watched her. She wore a teal shirt with thick shoulder straps and a limp collar that hung in folds just above her breasts. When Lena gathered herself and rounded the desk, Kara saw that she wore black slacks with lengths of silver chain for a belt, style not function, and modest pumps compared to her usual killer fuck-me heels. She smiled again when Kara presented her latte.

"I was happy to get your text," she said and took a sip.

"I'm happy you agreed to do another interview," Kara countered and drank from her own cup. "Thank you for the flowers. I'm glad Supergirl had time to stop by. They caused quite a stir in the newsroom this morning."

"I find it difficult to believe that no one has ever sent you flowers before," Lena said and smirked as she watched her words filter into Kara's brain. Kara blushed and pushed her glasses higher onto her face, two seconds from babbling uncontrollably.

"Have you eaten?" Lena moved to the sofa and pulled a few containers out of the bags there. "I had Jess order from that Indian place you like across town."

"No," Kara said and stayed where she was, turning to keep Lena in her sight.

"I assume you have the time. Cat Grant is quite persistent in her pursuit of me, surely no one will reprimand you for taking extra time away from CatCo while you're here." Lena looked up at her with an expression she knew all too well. Lena was throwing her weight around, and Kara was going to let her because Lena had a magic about her. When she focused on Kara, Kara knew that Lena thought of nothing else, that she lived wholly in the moment… with her.

Kara moved to the other side of the sofa and dropped her bag as she sat on the edge, just out of Lena's reach. She took the food Lena handed her and watched the CEO dig into her Greek salad with a little oil and vinegar. Feta cheese never seemed to bother Lena's stomach, so she indulged in it as often as possible. She speared a Kalamata olive and guided her lips over the length of the fork as she placed it in her mouth. Kara watched, she couldn't help it. Something had shifted in Lena, and she had no clue what it was or how to handle it. She made it impossible to keep the distance she'd worked so hard to maintain the last six months. Kara chewed some rice and butter chicken.

"Did you ask me to come here just to have lunch with me?" Kara asked. She couldn't help the playfulness in her voice, not when Lena's green eyes watched her over the salad she held near her chest.

"You need to eat, and we're both workaholics," Lena answered and leaned back into the corner of the sofa, crossing her legs. Kara glanced at her thighs, almost shocked not to see the alabaster skin usually visible beneath her skirt. She flushed and dropped her eyes to her food when Lena's lips quirk into a lascivious smirk.

"That's not an answer."

"Does it matter?"

"It does when this feels like a date," Kara countered. She should have been upset. Lena hadn't asked her consent to plan this little meeting. She should have been furious that Lena jeopardized her career as well as her own life. She should have been infuriated by the manipulation of the situation. Kara should have been a lot of things. Mostly, she was just happy to have Lena back in her life as more than a painful ghost. Two weeks, within two weeks, they'd fallen into old routines. they danced around each other the way they had when they'd first met. Kara thought Lena was too amazing to ever be interested in her, much less be interested in women. Looking back, she saw the hints Lena dropped for her, but she hadn't gotten them until Lena walked into her apartment one night wearing black fuck-me stilettos, a leather top that showed far too much skin, and a skirt that hugged her hips a little tighter than normal. It wasn't an unusual outfit, but Kara had seen her earlier that day for coffee in something different. She'd changed for Kara, she wanted to be noticed. And the second Kara noticed, Lena knew. Kara pressed her thighs together and shoved two forkfuls into her mouth.

"What are you doing Friday?" Lena asked and took a languid sip from the foam cup. Lena knew then just as she knew now that Kara wanted her.

"Sister night," Kara answered automatically. Every Friday night was sister night.

"Of course, I forgot," Lena sort of apologized and shifted a little to put the cup back onto the coffee table. "Would you consider cancelling it and attending a fundraiser gala I'm hosting for the new wing of the children's hospital? Bring Alex, if you'd like. You'll be the only member of the press permitted inside the event, unless you'd rather someone from your news crew stand outside on the steps, of course."

Kara rolled her eyes and set the food onto the table. "Are you manipulating my career to spend more time with me?"

That damn smirk stretched over Lena's dark red lipstick. "Is it working?"

"Don't you think it's a little dishonest?" Kara asked. She wanted to be mad, but damn Lena Luthor and all of her magnetic glory.

"Not if you know I'm doing it."

Kara chuckled and fiddled with her glasses. Lena sat forward, uncrossed her legs, set her salad to the side.

"The truth is, Kara. I still don't know many people in National City. I have friends, but they're scattered all over the world. I think you understand what it means to be unable to trust anyone." Kara nodded, serious as Lena allowed herself to be vulnerable. "I could use the support."

"Why not just ask?"

"Honestly, I was afraid you'd say no," Lena admitted and clasped her hands in her lap. "You've not been very receptive to my attempts at communication beyond professionally."

"You still trust me after everything?"

"Is there any reason I shouldn't?" Lena propped and elbow on the back of the sofa and laced her fingers together. "I don't understand completely your motivation for ended our relationship, Kara, but you're still one of the most genuine people I've ever met."

"I'm sorry. Really, Lena, I… god, I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. I just… it's… I mean, I…" Kara's eyes lingered on Lena's lips, dropped to her lap. "I don't know how to be your friend. Only your friend, I mean."

"What do you want, Kara?" The Kryptonian shivered, remembering the first time Lena had asked her that question. The first night they'd made love, Lena had whispered that into her ear. She had been all confidence and dirty talk until Kara had undressed her. She'd never wanted to hurt someone more than the people who made Lena feel insecure about her body, about a lover's intentions. She'd channeled that rage into worship for the woman who trusted her with all of it and knew that Lena only cared what she thought because she cared for Kara.

"I want to take the last six months back," Kara answered honestly. Tears burned her throat and she swallowed them.

"I can give that to you if you trusted me," Lena drove it home, arriving where she'd hoped to be in the conversation. Kara held her superhero identity to her chest with both hands, and Lena clawed at those fingers of steel, prying them loose one by one.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness, Lena."

"I'm beginning to think there is nothing to forgive. I pushed you too hard, pushed you away. I asked you to live in the spotlight with me when we hadn't even announced our union to those closest to us, save Alex, of course. It wasn't fair."

Kara took a breath and met Lena's gaze, those bright green eyes her other Kryptonite. "No, it wasn't. I can't live in the spotlight, Lena, not like that."

"Then give me another chance to show you I can stay in the shadows with you. Come to the gala. I'm offering you the scoop regardless of your decision."

A knock on the door silenced both women, and Lena cleared her throat before permitting her assistant entrance. "Ma'am, I have Mr. Hashimoto from the Japanese office on line one for you. He says there has been an issue with a production line that could set them back months."

"I have to take this, Kara. Please finish your lunch. If you have to go before I return, email me your questions. I'll answer whatever you'd like," Lena offered. They shared a look of longing, of want and need and desire. So much more to say, but their lives kept the words locked up and isolated. She stood and smoothed her shirt and pants.

"Jess, I'll take the call in the conference room. Please see to anything Ms. Danvers may need." Jess nodded and held the door open for her and then waited for further instructions from Kara.

"I'm okay. Thanks." Jess nodded and followed Lena.

Kara picked up her lunch and ate it, but there wasn't much joy in it. Lena wanted her back. She needed to stay away to protect Alex and the DEO and Lena herself. Being a hero hurt sometimes, but it shouldn't have required the sacrifice of her own happiness. Maybe Kara could have it all, she just needed to go about it the right way.


	5. Chapter 5

And another. What are you guys thinking out there. You still into it? I went a little darker with Supergirl than I normally see in fanfics, but... I am me, so...

* * *

Alex listened, she really tried. Kara sat on her sofa, looking more hopeful than she'd seen her in a while, and told her about the invitation to the gala. Alex paced in front of the coffee table. She wanted to hit something… that something being namely Lena Luthor. Kara had just begun confronting the pain of their separation and Lena dragged her back into a pseudo-relationship and called it professional courtesy. Kara deflated a little and leaned back on the sofa.

"You don't approve," she said.

"How can I, Kara? I love you and I want to support you whatever way you need me to, but this doesn't sound healthy." Alex folded her arms over her belly and stopped long enough to watch her words crush Kara a little. She hated this, hated all of it, hated Lena Luthor most of all.

"Why? Just because you don't approve of something doesn't mean it isn't healthy," Kara challenged her sister. Rao, she loathed fighting with Alex, but moving forward with Lena felt like a way out of the hell she'd been living in for months. Her relationship hadn't been unhealthy, it hadn't been unstable or incompatible. They both deserved another chance or closure, however it ended.

Alex threw her hands up, reminding Kara again of Eliza. "Why bother asking what I think if you've already made up your mind? You know what I think about it."

"Because you're my sister, Alex. You're… my best friend. I don't need your permission and I don't need you to like my decision, or Lena. I'm asking you to support it."

"I don't want to see you get hurt again." She softened a little and moved around the table to sit beside Kara. "What happens when it goes bad?"

"Lena didn't hurt me. I hurt myself because you convinced me it was dangerous to be near her. Why are you convinced it's doomed already? Lena and I were together eight months, and the only reason you knew is because you were in my apartment when you weren't supposed to be. I can't even sleep with anyone else. It just… doesn't interest me anymore. I need to see this through."

"Okay," Alex conceded and draped her arms around Kara's shoulders in a sideways hug. Kara leaned into her. "I know you're an adult, Kara, but you're always going to be that scared little girl hiding from silly putty and staring at birds on the beach. You know that, right?"

Kara smiled and let Alex hold her, leaning back against her when Alex relaxed. "I know, but I have to do what's best for me. It's just not the same as what you think is best."

Alex smoothed blonde hair back and kissed the flat spot on top of Kara's head. A fire siren screamed outside the window, and Alex rolled her eyes. Kara chuckled and sat up, raking a hand through her hair.

"That's my cue," she said and pulled her shirt over her head.

"I have to go to the DEO anyway. I'm monitoring tests on a new species we brought it today." Alex stood and watched Kara zip out the window.

Yes, she needed to go to the DEO, but somewhere in the city, she'd taken an unnecessary turn and ended up in front of L-Corp. The light in Lena's office on the top floor was on, so she went inside and flashed her FBI badge to the guard at the front door.

"Agent Danvers, FBI. I need to speak with Ms. Luthor."

"Just a minute," he said, and picked up the phone. "Ms. Luthor, sorry for the interruption. There's an Agent Danvers here to see you. Understood." The man hit a button under the desk, and Alex thought for second Lena was having her thrown out, but another guard appeared around the corner and waved her to follow him. He remained silent and vigilant during the elevator ride, keeping her in front of him all the way to Lena's office door. She gave the youngest Luthor one thing: her people were well-trained and loyal. The man nodded at another guard posted on the top floor. The woman nodded back and eyed Alex suspiciously but opened the door for her without comment.

"Agent Danvers, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Lena greeted cordially. The guard seemed satisfied with her response and quickly shut the door. Lena's entire face altered once they were alone, and she crossed her arms, defensive and pissed off.

"I want to talk to you about Kara," Alex said, feeling the situation out before deciding how to react to Lena's obvious ire.

"Kara is not the fragile flower you'd like her to be, Agent Danvers. I presume she has informed you of my intention to pursue her," Lena bared it all, no sense dancing around the subject.

"If you think I'm just going to sit around and watch you play 50 Shades of Lena Luthor with my little sister, you don't know me very well."

"Your choice in literature is very revealing." Lena smirked, eyebrow quirking with amusement. She loved baiting Alex more than she should. Kara needed her sister, too.

"Kara has her own reasons for breaking off the relationship. She was just starting to confront it all. You need to leave her alone so she can move on."

"Reasons." Lena sneered. "I presume you are referring to her extracurricular activities as a caped vigilante."

Alex deflated. "Kara told you?" Lena rolled her eyes. "How do you know? Have you had her followed? Are you watching her?" Alex's hand fell instinctively to the gun at her side.

Lena laughed out loud, a cold and humorless sound. "Careful, you're beginning to sound as paranoid as I'm supposed to be." She moved to the side bar and dropped two cubes of ice into two separate glasses and poured a shot of scotch for each of them.

"How?" Alex demanded, crossing her arms in refusal of the drink. Lena shrugged and swirled her own glass before dumping it into the one that Alex refused.

"I may wear contacts at work and glasses at home, but I'm not blind. I am a certified genius, Agent Danvers, and it's a bit insulting that you honestly think I wouldn't recognize my girlfriend's hair or eyes or that little scar on her eyebrow. I know what her arms feel like around me, what she smells like, the cadence of her voice." Lena waved a dismissive hand and crossed to her desk.

"Her metabolism alone was enough to spark my curiosity before I put everything together." Lena sat, back straight and body language rigid with the anger she tried to keep in check. "Now, do I need to notify security or can you find your own way out?"

"Sweet Rao, my mom is going to kill me," Alex murmured and pushed fingers through her hair.

Lena stood and leaned forward on both hands, predatory and dangerous. If Alex had been anyone else, she would have wilted under the glare. "You and your mother managed to destroy the only good thing that has ever happened in my life, constantly telling Kara to hide herself. You keep her hidden, even from someone who... loves her... so, your suffering is really not a concern of mine."

"If you know, why haven't you told her?" Alex asked, calmer now. She hadn't known Lena paid that much attention to Kara, much less had kept her secret for months.

"Because I want Kara to trust me. If I told her that I've known for months, I'll never know if she trusted me enough to share her entire life with me." Lena sat, looking more defeated now that the anger had run its course. They both wanted what was best for Kara, but ultimately, it wasn't their choice to make. "I'd appreciate this conversation staying between us until Kara decides what she wants."

"You're going to hurt her, Lena," Alex said. It wasn't an accusation or angry. It was just a statement that revealed more about Alex than Lena wanted to see in that moment. She was helpless. Kara had defied her, and it gave Lena more hope than she felt comfortable feeling.

"She's already hurting, and so am I. Your control issues mean nothing to me, so deal with them elsewhere, Agent Danvers." Lena pulled the contract on her desk closer to her and spread out the sheets a little, picked up her pen, and took a sip of her drink. "Do not come here again unless there is an emergency. I'm not the little sister you can push around, and you'll find no sympathy from me."

"If you hurt her, I'm coming for you." The threat lingered and Lena let it as Alex turned on her heel and stalked to the door.

"I'd expect nothing less, Agent Danvers," she said when Alex's hand touched the handle. The agent looked back, confused. "Someone should hold me accountable. No one else seems to possess the spine it takes to challenge me. If I hurt her, don't stop until I'm gone from her life forever… one way or the other."

Alex nodded. "I'll find the deepest pit in government black sites I have access to and make sure you never leave."

Lena's lips twitched with a smile fighting to break free. She kept her head bent to the contract until Alex left and then leaned back in her chair, exhausted.

Alex flew towards the cave, not bothering with speed limits. She was angry and confused. In one meeting Lena Luthor had planted a seed of doubt in her mind, and Alex wanted to hit something in order to make the world make sense again. It wasn't her charm, and Lena hadn't tried to manipulate her. She simply told the truth, something Eliza had assured her a Luthor wasn't capable of. She'd been in her early twenties when the big showdown between Lex and Clark hit the streets of Metropolis. She'd met Lex when he and Clark were in college together. She'd never told Kara because she'd not seen her cousin since he abandoned her at their house. Lex had freaked her out then, but Clark hadn't listened to her. The man wasn't right, and now his sister held Kara's heart in her hands. Lena really believed that she loved Kara. How long until she went off the rails and stalked her or harmed her some other way? But she'd not bothered Kara the last six months. She'd respected Kara's wishes beyond a few texts here and there.

Alex skidded to a stop in front of the cave and stalked inside. Winn took one look at her and abruptly walked in the other direction. J'onn raised an eyebrow and turned his head and watched her pass the main rotunda toward her lab but said nothing. Her assistant smiled for one second and then ducked her head back to the microscope. It made Alex uncomfortable. She wasn't a person to be feared, even when she was angry. Sure, she popped a top every now and then… Lena must have felt like that all the time. People cowered in fear of her name, much less her presence. Alex slipped into her lab coat and sighed, leaning heavily on both hands on the edge of her stainless steel table opposite her assistant.

"I'm sorry. I've had a stressful evening," she said. Her assistant looked up, confused. Alex rarely apologized. She needed to work on that.

"I understand. I'll stay out of your way as much as possible," Cooper said. "Can I help?"

"Do you have siblings?" Alex asked and pulled a box of slides from the cooler.

Cooper grinned and scribbled notes into the notebook beside the microscope. "A big brother. Kara's a handful, isn't she?"

"She's special, so special," Alex confided, allowing her voice to be soft. Only Kara had that effect on her. "I'm not the only one who sees it, and I can't very well keep her from the world, can I?"

"I think you're right to worry. She's invincible, but she's fragile. The violence bothers her more than she says, and she's been exhibiting some troubling signs… increased irritability, lack of focus. She's been successful up to this point, but I worry about the day she faces a threat that requires her at full strength."

Alex stared at the other woman, and Cooper ducked her head. "I'm sorry to speak so candidly about Supergirl. She's the best thing that's happened to this unit. We've lost a fraction of the agents we used to since she started assisting you."

"It's alright, Cooper. I just… Am I the only one who couldn't see the changes?"

Cooper shrugged. "It's been mentioned a few times around the lab, worry about what would happen if Supergirl lost it. I'm assuming she went through a bad breakup, you mentioned someone else seeing how special she was."

Alex loaded a slide into a microscope and sighed. The conversation was over because Alex refused to answer a question that revealed Kara's personal business at the DEO. Kara fought hard to live a normal life and equally as hard to keep that life out of her superhero life. Cooper asked and said nothing else, falling into a comfortable silence with her boss. Work helped Alex think, soothed her. She needed a lot of soothing these days because Kara's personal choices were making her crazy. Still, she owed it to her to try. She owed it to her to keep Lena's secret from both Kara and the DEO even if it meant putting her job in jeopardy. Maybe one day, she would tell this story to a niece or nephew and have a good laugh at it. Alex rolled her eyes at the thought and loaded another slide.


	6. Chapter 6

And another. Thank you for the reviews and new follows, Lovelies! This chapter... went places that I hated and then loved, so... Enjoy and leave me some love!

Song: I Won't by Colbie Caillat

* * *

Kara laughed as the young man spun her around the floor. She'd danced with no less than a dozen men and a few women at Lena's gala. The CEO kept a bit of distance between them, respecting Kara's need for privacy, but she caught Lena staring a more than a couple times. Every time a new person invited Kara onto the dance floor, Lena stole discreet glances, and Kara felt those green eyes following her. They weren't jealous eyes or angry eyes or hurt eyes. They were burning eyes. They wanted her, reveled in her obvious joy of dancing and the attention she received. A few times, Kara held her gaze over the shoulder of the person leading her around the floor, and Lena's chest moved a little faster, her neck flushed a little brighter with desire. Lena made a casual path towards the refreshment table when Kara took a break and needed food. The person behind Kara stepped back when Lena indicated that she wanted to be in line behind Kara.

"I wasn't aware of your affinity for dancing," she murmured near Kara's ear, careful to keep a respectful distance in the full room. Kara glanced over her shoulder, bright smile in place. Lena ducked her head, grinning.

"I'm glad I can still surprise you," Kara said, glanced around, and flushed with embarrassment that someone might have overheard her flirting with Lena.

"Do you see that hallway near the back?" Kara nodded. "Meet me in the last room on the left," Lena said. She snagged a few shrimp poppers and stepped out of the line.

Kara watched her leave the plate untouched on a tray across the room. They probably had cheese in them. She waited until Lena disappeared down the hallway and stepped out of the line, eating and watching the dancers. She refused a couple offers with a polite smile, finished the food on the small plate, washed her mouth out with wine, and headed for the hallway. When she opened the door, Lena looked up where she leaned against the wall with her arms folded over her belly. Kara shut the door and turned the lock. It was some sort of storage room with dirty stacks of chaffing dishes and empty bottles of champagne and extra table cloths.

"I was beginning to worry you weren't coming," she said and pushed off the wall, taking a few steps into the center of the room.

"I was hungry," Kara said and managed to look slightly sheepish but not much. She looked around the clutter along the walls. "What are we doing in here?"

Lena held out a hand, palm up. "I wanted to dance with you."

Kara hesitated, and Lena second guessed herself, hand dropping a little. Kara snatched it up and held it, not coming any closer, both arms stretched almost to their full lengths. Lena waited, breathed, kept a level gaze as Kara made her decision. Kara stared back, eyes dropping to Lena's dark red lips, darting back up to shimmering green eyes.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Kara said. She wanted to.

"You're in control here, Kara." Lena gave her that. It wasn't something she'd have dared say to anyone else. Kara knew that, knew Lena's mood and expressions. Lena needed something, but she hadn't known how to ask for it. She hated crowds, maybe she tried to ground herself by slipping away for a bit.

Kara stepped closer and set her free hand on Lena's shoulder. She had the self-control for one dance, surely. The music faintly reached the room behind the closed door, enough to catch the rhythms without stretching her super hearing. Lena pressed a hand against her shoulder blade and eased her a little closer but not intimately so. She tried to respect Kara's space, and the consideration made Kara step into her fully, touching their hips and breasts. Lena inhaled through her mouth, and Kara kept her head ducked beside Lena's cheek. If she looked at Lena's face, she knew she'd lose it.

"Is this alright?" Lena asked, her voice catching on her own emotions, yet she gave Kara the control she'd promised her. Kara nodded and pressed her face into Lena's neck. She was taller in her killer heels, and the hint of expensive perfume clung near her skin, subtle like Lena's kindness and generosity.

"Lena," Kara said.

"I know," Lena answered. Kara wasn't sure exactly what she knew, but she felt it. She pressed lightly on Kara's hand in her own and started them in a gentle Waltz step. It wasn't the showy kind of dance that garnered attention, it was the dance of lovers as intimate as if they'd been naked. Kara may have been in control, but she trusted Lena to guide her around the small space with tripping over anything. They were equals.

"Where did you learn to dance?" Kara asked. The heat in her body cooled enough for Kara to pull back and look into Lena's eyes.

"Oh, boarding school. They were keen to any skill required of a trophy wife to a rich and powerful man." Lena smirked. "I had other ideas, obviously."

"Bet you danced with all the girls," Kara teased. Lena twirled her out, pulled her back in, relaxing into the moment.

"Not as many as you'd think," Lena said as she reset the easy rhythm. "I was quite a shy girl."

"You?" Kara chuckled. Lena flushed, dropped her eyes a bit. She bit back some awful memory and flashed a smile, blinking quickly. "What?"

"I've been haunted by my last name my entire life. Lex's megalomania left quite an impression of how I was to be treated, not to mention Lillian's terrorizing the school at the slightest inconvenience or hindrance to my success of what she wanted me to be."

"Sounds lonely." Kara slipped her hand around the back of her neck, pressing a little closer.

"It was." Lena adjusted her hand on Kara's back and bent her head a little closer, obscuring her eyes. "It is."

"I understand. My last name still surprises me sometimes, too. I was adopted by the Danvers when I was 13. It's a very different situation from yours, but every time I hear someone say my last name, I'm reminded of what I've lost, that my parents will never see the person I became."

Lena stopped moving and looked at Kara until she flushed and pushed her glasses higher on her nose. Lena eyes always said more than she said, and now she looked at her like Kara had just offered her the last slice of chocolate pecan pie. She smiled anxiously, tried to step out of the embrace. Lena tightened her grip.

"Why had you never mentioned that before?" Lena asked.

"I don't know." Kara shrugged. Given the closeness of their dance, Kara had little option when she tried to avert her eyes. She wanted to run, but the warmth of Lena's body made her want to stay. She stopped squirming and met Lena's gaze. "I guess I don't mention it often because the circumstances surrounding my adoption were not ideal, and I don't want to hurt Alex or Eliza. My life is... there are... it's... It's complicated, Lena, and if certain people knew, I could put the family I have left in danger."

"People like my brother?" Kara nodded, too ashamed to speak. Lena wasn't her brother.

"Thank you for telling me, Kara."

Kara nodded again and slipped her arm further around Lena's back, leaning her cheek on Lena's shoulder. Lena swayed her to the soft music again. Kara was grateful for the movement, for Lena's patience, for the dance that had transformed into a long, emotional, desperately needed hug. They'd never danced before, it had simply never come up when they'd been together. Kara pressed her lips just beneath Lena's ear, held them there for a moment. Once could have been considered an accident of their proximity, right? She lifted them and pressed them onto another piece of warm flesh. Lena shivered, breasts pushing rapidly into her own.

"Kara, don't," she whispered, breathy and unsure.

"I'm sorry," Kara apologized and tried to pull away but Lena held her in place.

"What do you want?" Lena asked, voice a little stronger. "Tell me what you want." She kept her face tucked next to Kara's ear. Her breath tickled her neck and shoulder.

"I can't promise you anything beyond tonight, Lena. Is that okay? Can we just… Can you just touch me and leave it at that?"

When Lena failed to respond immediately, Kara went still, too scared to move in any direction. If she moved away, Lena might have thought she'd changed her mind. If she moved closer, she might have thought Kara was going to push her into something she might not have wanted. Lena's hand glided over her back, down her waist to her hip. Lips sticky with dark red lipstick pressed to the taut muscles in her neck, beneath her jaw.

"Are you sure?" Lena asked.

"Please, Lena," Kara whispered as a response.

Kara felt a slight pressure against her and walked backwards, blind, until her back touched the wall near the door. When they stopped, Lena raised her head enough to capture her lips. It was hard and needy and desperate. Something in Lena understood or even reciprocated the need to release the pressure of it all. Her breath was hot and ragged against Kara's lips. One hand tugged the hem of Kara's dress to her hips and pulled on her thigh until Kara lifted her leg around Lena's hips. The bodily responses she'd spent months denying ignited, relishing in their freedom.

Just this once, Kara promised herself. Just one more time.

She rolled her wet center against Lena's belly, felt the wetness soaking her panties already. She gave a brief thought to the stain on Lena's dress, but the rip of her zipper splitting open crushed the thought. Lena's hand lingered there, nails digging into the flesh of her back in a way Kara imagined might have hurt human skin. It made her burn more, wanting more of Lena's touch to permeate her thick alien skin. Lena's lips covered the expanse of pale flesh as she pulled the shoulder straps down Kara's arms. She lifted her hips from the wall, and the fabric pooled at her ankles, kicked to the side without a thought.

Lena tugged the cups of her strapless bra down and left it around her ribs as she took one nipple in her mouth and the other between rough fingers. Kara needed to be fucked. Something Lena seemed to understand. Any hint of emotion would have sent her fleeing for her sister and Supergirl. Kara moaned. A hand mussed the high bun of black hair, and she opened her eyes long enough to remove the clip holding it in place and buried her hand in raven tresses.

"Lena," Kara pleaded. She needed her. Inside of her, fucking her into the oblivion Kara had denied herself.

Lena moved her mouth to the other nipple. Fingertips trailed down her belly and slipped into Kara's panties. Kara rolled her hips, grinding her clit against the palm cupping her pussy. It disappeared, it all disappeared. The loss of her world, the disturbing dreams she'd begun having after becoming Supergirl, the disappointment in Alex's eyes, the violence she craved to fill the void of it all. Gone with the feeling of two fingers slipping inside of her. Not just any fingers would have done, she needed Lena's touch.

"Look at me, Kara," Lena whispered without skipping a beat with her hand. Kara opened her eyes enough to see Lena's, wide and green and concerned.

"Stay with me," Lena said. "Don't float away."

Kara nodded and smashed their lips together, parting Lena's with her tongue, muffling her moans in it. Lena's fingers curled, the heel of her hand bumping Kara's clit with each frantic thrust. Muscles squeezed around her, Kara's thighs clamped around hers, searching for an anchor, opened to take in more of her. Red splotches bloomed on Kara's chest and neck, cheeks flushed. She felt full. She needed to explode, to expel the heat with her powers, to blow something up and walk away from the carnage without considering the consequence. Her mouth fell to Lena's shoulder, and it took every ounce of control she had not to clamp down on the so very breakable flesh.

Kara pressed her open lips into the satin of Lena's black dress, panting, moaning, and finally resting when her orgasm paralyzed her body. For all of her strength, two fingers attached to this woman completely disarmed it. Kara slumped against the wall, and Lena massaged her, drawing out the ripples of blissful oblivion with little crooks of her fingertips against her g-spot.

They stayed there with Lena's fingers buried to the knuckle, still except their panting against each other. The doorknob rattled, followed by a knock, and Lena pressed her forehead to Kara's shoulder.

"Ms. Luthor, are you in there?"

"Yes, what is it?" Lena's voice sounded strained but steady. Kara awed at how easily Lena controlled her emotions and body, voice included. She knew exactly what to do with it in every situation. Kara had seen her undone completely only when she had her writhing on her bed, coming in her mouth, on her fingers, on a strap-on. Lena used sex as a means of expression as much as Kara had.

"You asked to be informed when it was nine o'clock so you could give your speech," the woman responded.

"Thank you, I'll be right out," Lena said without moving from Kara's warm skin pressed against the fabric of her dress. Lena pressed a kiss to Kara's neck and slipped her fingers free, turning away before Kara gauged the expression on her face.

"Lena."

"Not now, Kara," Lena snapped back.

She pulled a stack of napkins from a pack in the corner, cleaned her fingers, and left the room without another word. Kara watched her go and leaned against the wall for a moment before sliding down and pressing her forehead to her knees. Tears burned the back of her throat. She swallowed them. She hadn't deserved the right to cry after using Lena to relieve her own frustration, knowing what it would do to both of them. Kara took a couple of breaths, steadying her emotions, and pushed off the wall. She stepped into her dress with numb movements. Had their little tryst helped anything or made it more complicated? Either way, Kara had taken advantage of the situation, of Lena.

Still, even with the weight of her guilt, her body felt lighter and her mind less explosive. She hated herself a little that she felt so good. She hated her alien DNA for requiring a sexual outlet just to maintain control of her powers. She hated herself for leaving Lena, and she hated Lena for letting her back in after everything she'd done. Kara snagged a few paper napkins and cleaned up the wetness between her legs and wiped the smeared lipstick from her face before she left the room.

When Kara reached the ballroom, Lena stood at a microphone on a small dais. She must have cleaned herself up in the bathroom because her hair had been returned to its tight bun, lipstick fresh and pristine. Her rouged cheeks glowed with a certain post-coital brightness that no one else would have recognized, the only remnant of their moment in the back room. Lena's eyes focused on her by the exit door, and Kara tried to smile, tried to give her something, anything that said how sorry she was. Lena went silent for a moment, waiting. She glanced around, cleared her throat and looked at the notes in her hands. Kara slipped out the door before she looked up again, and she continued her speech a moment later.

Kara flew to her apartment and slipped in the window. Alex looked up from the couch, pushing the blanket down a little when she saw Kara's face. Her phone dinged, and Kara pulled up the message. Ignoring Alex for the moment, she went behind the partition and read Lena's text.

 _I wanted what happened tonight._

Kara closed her eyes, opened them. The text still said the same thing. _Me too,_ Kara tapped out and sent. She tossed the phone on the bed and stripped out of her dress and panties and bra, pulling on baggy jogging pants and an oversized shirt with nothing underneath. Her skin still reacted to the soft, loose fabric, and Kara cupped the throb between her legs. She wanted more, needed more.

 _Why did you leave?_ Kara looked at the message lit up on the bed without making a move towards it.

"Kara?" Alex called from the couch, still trying to figure out what to do with the situation.

Kara snatched up the phone. _Talk later. Alex is here._ She tossed the phone near her pillow and joined Alex on the sofa. Alex swept the blanket over her lap and readily accepted Kara's weight against her chest where she leaned back against her. Alex propped her chin on top of Kara's head and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"Did it go okay?"

Kara swallowed another welling of tears and melted into her sister's embrace. "It was fine. I got asked to dance a lot by rich dudes. That was fun."

A chuckle vibrated against her back. "Bring one of them home for me next time, preferably a young one."

Kara rolled her eyes and reached for a slice of pizza from the open box on the coffee table. "Maybe you should come next time and snag one for yourself. That black dress with the crisscrosses in the back would land you one for sure."

"Did you talk to Lena?" Alex asked. She fought to keep her voice neutral, and Kara appreciated the effort.

"Yeah, a little. She was pretty busy with the donors and speeches most of the night. It will be a nice little story to go with the series of articles we've been publishing about Lena's takeover of L-Corp."

"Kara." Alex's voice got a little harder, searching for the whole truth.

"Seeing her is always difficult, Alex, and I don't want to talk about it, okay." That ended the conversation.

Kara bit into the pizza and then tossed it back into the box. Her stomach knotted too tightly to eat anything. She knew Alex watched her, studied her like one of her experiments, but the scientist said nothing else and hit a button on the remote. The television moved and the sounds of Veep filled the room. Kara tried to pay attention, but her thoughts stayed with Lena. The way she turned her face away after fucking her against the wall, the way her eyes begged Kara to stay because she was in front of a few hundred people and unable to chase after her like the hero in a romantic comedy movie. The way she had touched her without question, given her what she needed without asking for anything in return. Lena was generous with herself, and Kara was selfish. Yet, no one would ever cheer Lena's name like Supergirl's, fall in love with her innocence like Kara Danvers.

She felt sick and called an end to sister night after one episode. Alex hesitated but conceded to her request. Kara locked the door, shut off all the lights, and stripped off all of her clothes before falling into her bed. She picked up her phone, but Lena hadn't responded. She kept her end of the promise and allowed Kara the safety to give into her physical urges without expecting more. It made Kara feel worse. She flopped face down on her bed and covered her head with a pillow, waiting for sleep to take her.


	7. Chapter 7

And another, Lovies.

Song: Million Reasons by Lady Gaga (Can we just take a moment and appreciate her new direction with her music? 3)

* * *

The newsroom buzzed around her. The sound was soothing in a way, alive and real. Kara used to get so overloaded by sounds of Earth, especially the city, when her powers were steadily growing. She'd not had a spike for several years once she hit her twenties. Clark should have been there. He should have guided her, taught her how to control them and use them properly, explained the techniques of blocking out x-ray vision and super hearing. Where was he? He'd just dropped her off and left, couldn't be bothered with a kid. He hadn't even left a phone number, an email… the right smoke signals to send up. She knew where he worked now, the city where he lived. Maybe he wanted her to go to him, but he never invited her, never showed that he cared beyond hiding her with the Danvers. Kara tapped backspace with quick, deliberate pokes. Annie touched her arm, shaking Kara from her internal rant.

"What?" Kara snapped, whipping her head towards the other woman.

Annie lifted a thumb over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and worried inside the frame of her curly red hair. Kara looked over her head and found Alex standing near the door with wide, worried eyes, too. Her expression matched the faces of her fellow reporters. Kara snapped her laptop shut and slipped it into her shoulder bag before standing and moving as calmly as possible towards Alex, aware of the stares.

"I waited at Noonan's for 30 minutes," Alex said and tried to smile. She held up a brown paper bag instead.

"We were supposed to have lunch. I forgot." Kara took the bag and peeked inside, grinning a little despite the more painful veins of her life pulsing near the surface.

"Do you have a little more time?" Kara asked. Alex nodded.

She followed Kara through the building and out the front door. She led them down to the river without speaking and pulled the chicken salad wrap out of the bag. Alex watched her until she took a bite. Kara dutifully chewed, swallowed, and took another one. Her stomach knotted, but she forced the food down anyway. Alex seemed to relax a little and shoved her hands into the pockets of her blue jacket. The wind coming off the river never bothered Kara, but Alex had told her that it was chilly this time of year, in the fall. Kara used to love walking this path with her sister. Now, she felt like a fraud. There was nothing here she wanted to see – the little ducks following their mama or the fish coming up to the surface or the variety of people milling about. Earth had grown dull.

"Kara?"

"What?" Kara stopped walking and turned to look at Alex fully.

Alex pointed to her hand where she had squeezed the wrap, spilling the filling onto her hand and sidewalk. Alex took the paper bag and pulled out a stack of brown napkins, cleaning Kara's hand with a gentleness that stung the back of Kara's eyes with the ache of tears. Were tears painful for humans, too? She supposed she felt the pain of them because they were a product of her own body and not an outside influence. She tossed the wrap into the bag and then into a trashcan nearby.

"Do you want to go get something else? I don't have to be back to the DEO for another hour to check the results of my tests." Alex looked hopeful.

Kara shook her head and looked at her ruined lunch now sitting in the big black trash bag. "I wasn't really that hungry."

"Kara, what's wrong? Your entire newsroom looked like they were tiptoeing around you. Did something happen?" Kara shook her head, still looking at the destroyed wrap, mashed and mutilated. She related to the feeling.

"Kara?"

"What, Alex?" Kara snapped her head up, glaring at her sister. Alex raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms Waiting for Kara to rectify her actions, she assumed. Her hands clenched into fists against her thighs, muscles in her jaws working up and down with the effort. "Sorry. I'm a little cranky today."

"A little?" Alex softened, letting her own anger at the mistreatment slide since Kara was talking now. "Is it Lena?"

"Not everything comes back to Lena, ya know." The words weren't angry. They just were. Alex's forehead bunched, pulling her hairline forward with the force of it.

"Kara." Alex touched her shoulder, and Kara tried not to flinch away from her. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Why did Clark leave me with your family? He just…" Kara's lip quivered, and she dropped her head. "He just left. He didn't care about me. He just cared about being Superman."

"Oh, Sweetie." Alex pulled her into a hug, and Kara buried her face in Alex shoulder, wrapping her hands around Alex's shoulder blades. Alex was so very breakable, so vulnerable. "He was afraid his enemies would hurt you. He was afraid of who might find out who you were and exploit you. He was trying to protect you."

"Like I'm trying to protect Lena," Kara said. She'd done this to Lena, given her this pain of abandonment. Kara stepped back and wiped her face. "If Clark were a hero, he wouldn't have abandoned a child who needed him."

"Kara…"

"Don't. Just… leave me alone, Alex. I wouldn't want to put you in danger, either." Kara brushed past her, ducking her head under the weight of her heavy body.

"Kara," Alex called after her, but her sister never made a move to follow.

Kara made a loop around the boardwalk and back to CatCo where she hid in the tiny office Cat had given her. If Snapper knew it existed, he probably would have taken it from her, too. She opened her laptop and tapped in the password, opening the article about Lena's gala. The words on the screen meant nothing. She snapped the lid shut, disgusted with the frivolous puff piece. She wanted to give Lena good press, and the CEO had raised over a hundred thousand dollars for the children's hospital. It was good media attention for a great cause. She owed Lena that much for the way she'd behaved the previous night. She should have written it before she went to bed. She opened the laptop and printed the article. It was fine, she was only nitpicking at it anyway. She went to the printer in the newsroom, shoved it into a plastic cover, and tossed it in front of Snapper.

"I'm going home," she said. He actually turned his head to look at her but left it propped on his fist. "The article is fine, just run it."

When he opened his mouth to reprimand her, she spun on her heel and left the newsroom. She had no patience for Snapper Carr's abuse that afternoon. She took Cat's private elevator to the roof, stripped off her clothes on the helipad, and exploded into the air. In the clouds, she breathed again, letting the cooler air ease the tension in her shoulders and neck. She was invincible and still managed to give herself muscle knots. She was one of the handful of things on Earth who could actually cause her harm, physically anyway. Everything battered her emotions. She cared too much until she wasn't able to care at all. Everyone walked around like they were entitled to their planet, to their cars and gadgets and plastic everything. They had no idea what awaited them in a few years, a century maybe. She knew what that felt like. Greedy hands had taken bits of her, too, until she wore too thin to withstand their needs.

When Kara landed on the top balcony at L-Corp, Lena startled and turned in her chair. A bright smile lit up her face as she pushed off the arms and opened the glass door. She stepped into the sunlight, and Kara leaned back against the railing, crossing her ankles. Lena wore a blue dress that hugged her body and dropped into a deep V, almost separating her breasts with the cut. Kara allowed her gaze to linger over Lena's figure, her pale toned legs and hips that swayed with an elegance more sophisticated than mere sexuality and her long thin neck and dangerous red lips and piercing green eyes. Lena faced the city and folded her arms on the railing beside Supergirl.

"Is everything alright?" Lena asked.

"The city isn't in crisis, if that's what you mean," Kara said and crossed her arms over her flat chest.

"I meant you look as though someone ran over your favorite alien kitten," Lena joked and bumped their shoulders. Kara almost cracked a smile.

"Do you ever get tired of it all, Ms. Luthor?" She asked, looking over her office.

"I've grown tired of many things, Supergirl. I'll need you to be a bit more specific." Kara turned around and faced the city. "For example, on this particular day, I'm specifically tired of Kara Danvers ignoring my text messages after what happened at my gala last night."

"I'm sure Kara has her reasons. Getting her article about your gala out in this afternoon's issue, I'm sure," Kara said. She hoped her voice sounded steady because the coiling in her stomach made her sick.

"I'm sure your theory is much nicer than reality," Lena retorted. Her hand gripped the railing so tight her knuckles and fingers turned ghostly white. She was upset, and Kara was the reason.

"I'm sorry that you're upset. Maybe I should go," Supergirl said and stood to her full height.

"Maybe you should." Lena turned her back and went back into her office. Without looking back, she sat at her desk and bent over whatever boring piece of paperwork she finalized.

Kara took off and glided over the city for a little while before returning to CatCo and redressing atop the building. It was the tallest around for several blocks, so she never worried that someone might see her. She took Cat's elevator back to the floor of her office and dug around her bag for her phone. There were several voicemails and texts from Alex and two from Lena sent early that morning and the second about an hour before she visited her.

 _I know you told me what last night meant before it happened, but I think we should talk about it._

 _Kara, I saw how upset you were when you left. Please call me._

Kara tapped out a reply: _I'm not upset._ She erased it. _I'm okay._ Erased.

 _Hey._ Kara sent the text. She stared at the screen. The read receipt appeared beneath it, ellipses following almost immediately. They disappeared, reappeared.

 _Are you alright?_ Lena asked, and Kara felt her anxiety across the few blocks that separated them.

 _I'm fine, just been thinking a lot this morning. I left my phone in my office so I could work. Sorry it took so long to get back to you._

It looked good enough, so Kara sent it. The read receipt appeared, but several minutes passed before Lena began typing anything. Kara watched the minutes tick by on her phone, tapped the screen when it dimmed a few times.

 _As long as you're okay with what happened last night. I was afraid I'd crossed a line. What are you thinking about?_

Kara took a deep breath. She should have told Lena the truth about her messed up family situation, about Astra's death and Clark's abandonment. She wanted to.

 _Maybe I'll tell you at dinner on Friday. ;)_ She hoped Lena took the flirtation bait and left it at that.

 _I wasn't aware we had scheduled dinner. What about sister night?_ Lena sent back a few seconds later.

 _I'm not really interested in seeing Alex at the moment. I'm working some stuff out, and I need space_ _from her_.

It wasn't a lie. She needed Alex, but right now, she needed her to stay away for a little while. Alex influenced her thoughts, altered her decisions, and Kara really wanted to punch her face for killing Astra. She'd seen the video footage of the incident, and it wasn't necessary. She hadn't even moved the knife against J'onn's neck yet. It was a bluff, and Alex made a snap decision to kill her instead of disabling her. The last of Kara's blood family who had wanted her, not like Clark. Between the hero and the criminal, she would have chosen the criminal every single time. Astra was flawed, but she'd never doubted her aunt's love for her.

 _8? My place?_

Kara smiled at the screen. _Should I dress up?_

 _Do you intend me to take it off or am I to behave?_

Kara wanted to continue flirting, but the text calmed the thumping of her heart. She'd jerked Lena around and got her hopes up. For what? For a quick fuck in a storage room at a fancy party. She hadn't even returned the favor for Lena. Kara tossed the phone on the desk and glared at it until the screen went dark. It lit up a moment later.

 _I don't expect anything, Kara. I'll see you Friday._

She had never deserved Lena Luthor.

Kara picked up her bag and phone and went to her apartment as quickly as possible. She flew to the cave in the desert and stalked inside where Winn and Vasquez tapped on keyboards. She flopped into a chair beside her friend and slumped down, looking at him. He looked back, fingers stilling for a moment.

"I need to hit something," she said. Winn hopped into action and typed faster at the keyboard.

"Uhhhh, there is a robbery at a convenience store on Fifth Street."

Kara pushed a comm in her ear and squeezed his shoulder. "Keep 'em coming." She zipped out of the cave and didn't stop until she actually felt exhausted. Once the sun went down, her energy waned quickly. She took one more pass over the city and went into her apartment window. She checked her phone, ignored the messages from Alex, and tapped one from Lena. She opened her fridge and snagged a bottle of water and the pizza from the night before.

 _Do you have a dinner request?_ It had been sent a couple hours before she saw it.

Kara flopped onto the sofa, pizza box on her lap. _Whatever. You know I'll eat anything._ She took a drink of water and watched the little dots on her screen that told her Lena was on the other side, like she'd been waiting for Kara's response. Even on the other side of the city, she felt like the only thing on Lena's mind when they texted.

 _Cow tongue it is then._

Kara laughed, spitting water over her super suit and the pizza in her lap. She wiped the screen of the phone on the arm and brushed water off her suit. _Okay, maybe not anything. Poor baby cows._

 _Really?_ Kara grinned. Rao, she'd missed Lena's playfulness. Why had she surrounded herself with people who took everything so damn seriously?

 _Cows are cute._

 _You're cute. Cows are tasty._

 _Well, I'm eating cold pizza for dinner tonight, alone on my couch in my pajamas, so anything that remotely resembles healthy is probably okay. Not cow tongue._

 _You can dress up if you'd like. I'll make it fancy._

Kara's grin spread into a smile, faded to a frown. _I hope last night didn't give you false hope. Nothing has changed, Lena, but I'd like to be your friend. Can we give that a try?_

Minutes passed. Kara ate two pieces of pizza and ordered more on her phone without moving from the sofa. She set it down and went behind the partition to change into a pair of jogging pants and a tight blue tank top before she gave the pizza delivery person the shock of their life. When the hot fresh, gooey goodness arrived, Kara answered the door and smiled at the acne-covered boy staring at her breasts through the stretched material. He was probably too young for her, so she signed the receipt quickly and shut the door. She picked up her phone and set the pizza on her lap as she sat sideways on the sofa, leaning against the arm.

Lena hadn't responded yet.

 _Lena?_

 _Open your door._

Kara's forehead scrunched up, but she dutifully set the pizza on the coffee table and went to the door. She shot an X-ray beam through it before pulling it open. Lena stood on the other side, grinning, still in the blue dress from earlier with a tan jacket over it. She held a bag in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Lena caught the scent of garlic and chicken from the bag. She took the wine when Lena held it out to her.

"I've had a bad day," she said. "I needed a friend." It meant so much more, and Kara searched for any ulterior motive behind Lena's eyes. She, indeed, looked exhausted and emotional.

"As a friend, I offer you my couch and ear." Kara stepped back and waved towards the open area of her apartment. Lena went to the couch and shucked the tan jacket, dropped into the comfortable cushions.

"So, what's going on?" Kara asked from the kitchenette. She tugged the corkscrew and poured the expensive wine into her cheap, mismatched glasses. She broke things, a lot, so she just picked up whatever from the secondhand store. It had never bothered Lena that she saw.

"Remember the call I took from Japan last week?" Kara nodded as she sat, handed Lena a glass of wine. "I trashed his contract with L-Corp because that man's equipment was faulty and killed two employees last week. He wanted to continue production without doing a safety assessment. I positively refuse to entertain a person with such despicable morals, and my name will not be associated with slave labor, no matter the country."

Lena took a large gulp of wine, draining the glass in one go. Kara studied her, the tension in her shoulders and neck, the integrity that guided her professional and personal life. Lena lowered the glass and looked at her, flushing from the sudden intake of wine and the expression of awe Kara had no idea how to hide.

"So, you have to find another partner?" Kara pulled them through the moment.

"Yes." Lena stood and went to the island, refilling her glass as she returned, and set the bottle on the coffee table. "All of my supplies are already there. It would cost a fortune to ship them back or to one of my European facilities. Luckily, they are creating one piece of a larger product that will be assembled in the United States. I was hoping to move forward with this partnership to the point of sharing complete designs for production and distribution there."

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Lena hummed, took another smaller sip of wine. "I do, but I don't want to go to Japan to finalize the contract." She sighed heavily and leaned back into the corner of the sofa. Dark hair fell over her shoulders and framed her pale face and neck. Lena pushed a hand through it, scratching a little so it fell in pieces back to her shoulder.

"Supergirl stopped by," she said as she set her wine down and lifted a container of food from the bag.

"Oh?" Kara opened the pizza box and snagged a slice, filled her mouth so she didn't say something stupid.

"Did you send her again?" Lena asked, still not quite looking at her.

"Is that okay?"

Lena opened the container, revealing some sort of grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, and wild rice. Kara felt sorry for her food allergies; they missed the best parts of the food world. Lena took the container into the kitchen and put it on the island as she collected a plate, fork, and cloth napkin from the cabinets and drawers. Kara watched, not surprised that she remembered where everything was. When Lena returned, she kicked off her heels and spread the napkin over her lap.

"There is no simple answer to that question," she said and met Kara's eyes with a steady gaze. It wasn't angry, but there were noticeable emotions she kept checked behind her thoughtful words and calm demeanor.

"Okay."

"I don't mind that you want to check up on me, but I do not want Supergirl to act as liaison when you feel uncomfortable and wish to avoid confrontation." Lena speared a piece of broccoli and brought it to her mouth.

"I can do that." Kara took another bite of pizza. They ate in comfortable silence. Kara tried to keep her eyes on the pizza and not on Lena, but she wasn't very successful. Every time, Lena looked back, confident in her gaze where Kara faltered and looked away.

"I feel like I used you last night," Kara said and wiped greasy fingers on her jogging pants.

"I knew what I agreed to, Kara. I don't believe there were no emotions attached to it, but you were clear about the intention. That was enough."

They let that linger between them as they ate. There was so much more to be said, but at least they'd started somewhere. And Lena had come to her. She'd needed comfort and a safe place to unwind, and she'd chosen Kara. It felt nice, to be needed in a way that hadn't risked her life or required any sort of sacrifice except an evening alone with the television and pizza.

"Want me to ask Supergirl to fly you to Japan? Much faster and more pleasant than a plane."

Lena laughed and set her plate on the coffee table. She dabbed around her mouth with the brown cloth napkin and placed it back over her lap.

"As pleasant as that sounds, I do believe sending one of the United States' most dangerous weapons into foreign lands on a social call might trigger an international incident." The tone was light, playful. Lena smiled and lifted her wine to her lips. Still, it sat in the air, uncomfortable and mean, like a rattle snake coiled to strike.

"You think Supergirl is a dangerous government weapon?" Kara asked.

"Oh, Kara, of course not. I simply meant… I… I meant that Supergirl is much like I am in the eye of the public. Such power and intelligence and drive, it scares people when they don't understand the person wielding it," Lena explained. Kara relaxed. Lena refilled her wine glass.

"Another glass and Supergirl will have to take you home," Kara joked. Lena shrugged and took a languid pull of the wine, her lipstick blending with the deep red color.

"Why don't you call her and ask her to come over?" Lena suggested and raised an eyebrow. A jolt pulsed in Kara's chest, and she took a drink of her own wine to cover the shock of the question. Lena's cheeks and neck were flushed, and she smiled a little more amorously than Lena had allowed since they'd reconnected.

"It's been a long day, Lena. Want to watch Netflix?" Kara asked because she needed to not talk.

She needed to not see how much the alcohol unveiled Lena's desire for her. She needed Lena to stop looking at her with the smile she'd discovered Lena reserved only for her. She needed to think and keep a healthy physical distance between them. She needed to take Lena home and tuck her into bed and respect her while she was intoxicated.

She needed to not be alone.

"You can stay if you want. You still have some clothes here."

"You haven't burned them yet?" Lena asked, smirking.

Kara chuckled and fiddled with her glasses. "I wouldn't do that. They're still in your drawer."

Lena finished the glass of wine. Her third? Fourth? At least half the bottle. It must have been an extraordinarily stressful day. last night probably hadn't helped. She should have answered Lena's texts. If someone had treated her that way, Kara would have been frothing at the mouth. Lena stood, teetering a little before finding her balance. She disappeared behind the partition, and Kara let out a chest-caving breath, reaching for the remote.

"Kara," Lena called, softly. Hesitant, like she feared Kara wouldn't answer.

"Yeah?"

"Will you help me?"

Kara chewed her lower lip. She heard Lena stumble into the dresser. They'd danced this dance before. Lena had a few too many glasses of wine and lacked the coordination to get out of her fancy dresses. She only imagined how many expensive outfits she'd ruined by sleeping in them all night before they'd met. Kara pushed off the sofa and approached the partition like there was a scared animal around the corner. It was only Lena, she chided herself. She had the self-control to unzip one dress.

Yeah, she thought. Just as she'd had the control for one dance.

Breath held, she rounded the partition and found Lena reaching behind her with both arms, one over her shoulder and the other underneath. Both grasped for the zipper just out of reach. Kara stepped close enough to touch her hands. Lena relaxed and dropped them to her sides. Kara let them slip through her fingers and stood there staring at the zipper like Kryptonite. Lena was more powerful than Kryptonite. Lena wasn't only a weakness, she was a drug. Kara needed to protect her because if anyone tried to use Lena against her, she'd have given them anything they wanted if they spared her. The DEO, her powers, Superman's real identity: none of it meant anything compared to Lena. With shaking hands, she touched the zipper and pulled it to Lena's lower back and let her hands fall limp against her thighs.

"You can touch me, Kara," Lena whispered. She turned. The dress tumbled over her shoulders, hung loose on her arms just above her elbows. A simple black bra covered the pale flesh of her breasts. Kara flexed her hands but kept them under control of the smarter half of her brain.

"You're drunk," Kara said.

Lena nodded and turned back to the dresser. It had been their consent system. More than two glasses at dinner, and they had agreed to not have sex. Lena upheld the agreement more easily, it seemed, than Kara that night. Kara stepped forward and trailed her fingertips down Lena's spine. Her breath touched her hand, Lena's back. The flesh pimpled with arousal.

"I'm just going to unhook your bra," Kara said. Lena nodded again and pulled her hair over one shoulder.

"It's alright, Kara," Lena whispered. Her voice was thick with the effects of the wine, and it hit a deeper tone, slower but no less sure.

Kara wrapped bother hands around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. Lena shivered, shifting her weight against Kara's mouth and hands, trusting Kara to hold her upright. It went no further. Kara held her mouth in that spot at the base of Lena's neck. She closed her eyes and inhaled the hint of perfume and sweat. Lena covered both of her hands, keeping them on her shoulders in a tight grip.

"Kara, I can't do this. You have given me a million reasons to walk away from you and not a single one to stay. I can't go back and forth like this every day. It hurts too much." Kara lifted her mouth and stepped back, missing the warmth of Lena's bare skin. Lena let her hands slip away easily. No, Lena wasn't going to keep pulling her back forever.

"I'm sorry," Kara said. Lena glanced over her shoulder, half-turned, holding her dress over her chest with both hands. Kara dropped her gaze to her hands wringing painfully in front of her belly. She forced them to her sides and looked at Lena, disheveled and tipsy and flushed and begging Kara to let her in with those big green eyes.

"My life is..."

"Complicated, yes, I know. You have convinced yourself that you are the only person with something to lose in this relationship, Kara. I'm a Luthor, for god's sake. I understand complicated situations. Your adoptive family is a walk in the bloody park compared to mine. I'm not asking for your hand in marriage. I just want you to say something that's real."

"Real." Kara stepped into her space and gripped her shoulders. Without her heels, Lena stood a few inches shorter, and she tipped her head up the look into Kara's eyes. "I have an amazing life and a family who loves me even if they have flawed ways of expressing it. I'm at the beginning of a great career that is only gaining speed. I have loyal friends. I'm a cute woman with blonde hair and blues eyes. I literally have the entire American Dream in a nutshell." Kara ground her teeth together and sucked in a quivering breath. "I have everything, and the only time I don't want to die is when I'm with you. I need more time to figure out what that means."

"Kara." Her name fell from Lena's lips in a puff of air. Either from the wine or the shock, Lena couldn't hide her reaction to the words. Kara spun her around and moved the clasps of her bra and turned away before she overthought the moment, retreating to the sofa.

When Lena reappeared, she wore a pair of short, baggy shorts and one of Kara's oversized long-sleeved shirts. They looked at each other for a long time before Lena rounded the end of the sofa. She sat and tipped to the side, laying her head in Kara's lap without looking up at her. The superhero gripped the back and arm of the sofa until she feared she would rip the fabric.

"Is this alright?" Lena asked.

Kara eased her fingers from the couch and pulled the blanket from the back, covering Lena as far as she could reach. She hit play on a Criminal Minds episode and tried to relax. Kara found the plot lines a little disconcerting, but Lena loved the show and knew most of the real-life cases and serial killers it referenced. Sometimes she shared that knowledge with Kara, but she mostly kept it to herself. The mere thought of psychopaths freaked Kara out. It shouldn't have given her secret identity, but she ultimately believed in the good in people. A psychopath wasn't really given the option of good from what she understood. Not all of them became serial killers, but they never knew empathy or love, not really. It was sad. It made her sad for Lena because she'd lived in a house full of them as a person who understood and exercised empathy daily. Lena hadn't explained her love of the show, but Kara assumed it was some sort of morbid fascination to understand the minds of the people she wanted desperately to love.

Kara touched Lena's hair. She ran her fingers through it, scratched at her scalp. Lena hummed, eyes fluttering. She gave this to Lena. She gave her a safe place to sleep for one night, warmth and comfort and friendship. If she were being honest, Lena gave that to her, too, and she drifted off for the first time in days.


	8. Chapter 8

Dear Guest reviewer, sorry to address you here, but I just saw your review come through and wanted to put a question to you. Is not watching someone slip away and behave in erratic, unusual ways from what we know and love the very essence of loving someone with depression (or any mental illness)? Your discomfort or dislike of this story's version of Kara is addressing that. The trauma of childhood often comes tumbling out somewhere in the mid-twenties, triggered by a specific event (or breaking point). Kara has moments in the show, but I've seen very little of her actually processing her life. And I am a bit of an angst queen. Hopefully, this chapter helps ease things a little for you. :)

As always, thank you so much for the new reviews and follows! Enjoy, my pretties!

Song: Only Human by Christina Perri

* * *

Kara ran through the hallway of the DEO. The power had failed, taken out by Astra and her crew. They came for her, and she fought her way to them. Agents in black gear and escaped aliens attacked her from all sides, taking her down, getting slapped away with her super strength. A few of the humans crumpled with caved skulls, dead. She was a killer now. The walls of the cave rumbled with the sounds of battle, gunfire, roars and screams of attack and death. Winn laid face down in a puddle of his own blood, body contorted at inhuman angles.

"Winn!" Kara yelled his name and smacked another alien in the face. He never moved, and Kara focused on the battle. She needed to get to Astra.

There. At the end of the hallway, near the entrance of the cave, J'onn and Alex double teamed her aunt. A shoulder caught Kara in the gut and slammed her against the wall. She punched through the scaly back, sinking into warm blood and guts, and wrapped her fingers around his spine. The creature screamed in pain and dropped Kara to the floor. She gave a quick tug, felt the spine dislodge as she took off towards the front of the cave. Astra was on her knees, Alex behind her with a Kryptonite knife to her throat.

"Alex, don't!" Kara begged.

Someone snagged her around the waist as she ran towards the only family that mattered anymore. She recognized J'onn's arm in human form. A green glow emitted from beneath his hand where he held her chest.

"Kara," Lena's voice cut through the confusion.

"Stay away!" Kara fell to her knees, unable to withstand the effects of the Kryptonite. J'onn held her tightly, kneeling behind her to keep the Kryptonite in contact with her chest.

"Alex, don't!" Her sister drew the blade over Astra's throat, leaving thin line of red at first. It gushed suddenly, spurting with the beat of Astra's heart. "Astra!"

"Kara!"

Kara shot forward, back in her apartment, on her sofa, with a very scared Lena in her shirt sitting beside her. Lena's hands hovered just above her shoulder, but she refrained from touching her now that Kara had woken. Kara propped her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands. Tears streamed down her face, and she let them.

"Kara?" Lena touched her back with a ghostly feather of a touch. "Darling?"

"I'm sorry," Kara whispered. She tugged at her hair, reveling in the delicious burn only she could give herself. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's alright, Darling. Everyone has nightmares." Lena edged just a smidgen closer, and Kara twisted and wrapped her arms around Lena's back.

With a grunt, she slumped into the back of the couch under the weight and force of Kara's desperation, but she said nothing and wrapped her arms around Kara's back, one on her neck. Lena pressed little kisses onto the top of her head. She waited, patient. She demanded no explanation, asked for no description of the thing inside Kara's mind that had terrified her. Kara loved her more for that. Lena surely felt her tears soaking through the fabric of the shirt atop her chest. When the choking sobs eased into ragged breaths and near-silent tears, Lena began humming. It was something soft and old and maybe a little haunting, but it soothed Kara's pounding heart, soaking up the tension from her body like a rich, dark soil absorbing a puddle of water around partially bloomed flower.

Kara eased her grip around Lena's waist, leaving one hand in the space between Lena's back and couch and let the other linger on her belly just beneath her left breast. Lena seemed okay with the contact, and Kara relaxed a little more. She sucked into a cleansing breath to clear the wetness from her lungs. Lena scratched blunt fingernails over her scalp and started the song at the beginning. Kara listened to it all the way through this time and kept taking deep breaths as the images of her mind faded into the darkness.

"What song it that?" She asked when Lena finished it a second time.

"I'm not sure, actually. I think it's an old Irish lullaby my biological mother used to sing to me before she died. It gets caught in my head on occasion."

"It's beautiful."

Lena pressed her lips to Kara's forehead and hummed. The sound vibrated Kara's skin, and she closed her eyes, sinking into the warmth of her body wrapped around Lena's. At some point, probably when she'd crash tackled Lena into the sofa, she wrapped one of her legs between Lena's, clinging to her in every possible way.

"My aunt died last year, just before we met," Kara said. Lena stiffened a little, relaxed. "She was… she wasn't a bad person, but she was… she was an ecoterrorist. She'd killed people, and… she tried to hurt a lot more. Alex… killed her… in the line of duty. I got there in time for her to die in my arms."

"Oh, Kara. I'm so sorry," Lena whispered against her hair. Her breath slipped over Kara's scalp, soothing the rage growing inside of her chest. "Have you spoken with anyone about this? A therapist?"

Kara shook her head. If she'd tried, it would have been a DEO appointed therapist since it contained classified information about the operation. All results and notes would have been available to Alex as the highest ranking agent in the unit and the expert of alien biological research. Kara hadn't realized she'd carried that subconscious fear until that moment. She hadn't wanted her sister to know what she would have said to a therapist about her. Lena must have sensed her internal battle because she rubbed her back a little, just enough to ground her in the moment but not invade it.

"Aunt Astra was… complicated, but she loved me," she said, ignoring her own fears regarding her sister. "I know I couldn't have gotten her to turn herself in if I'd had a little more time. I was almost there. She was almost home, and… Alex knew that." She adjusted her head on Lena's chest, moving her cheek from the wet spot of tears. Lena eased her grip, allowing Kara to go and do what she pleased. It was so very Lena that Kara felt sick for the way she'd treated her from the break-up to then. She was an idiot. When she settled, Lena wrapped her up in a tight embrace.

"Sometimes, I think…" Kara pushed a deep breath from her lungs, scared to say her own thoughts aloud. It made them real and painful and more than mere passing musings. "Sometimes, I think Alex killed her to protect me, but… Alex has a difficult time allowing anyone else close to me. Her version of protection and love requires me to… have no one else for support except her and those she approves."

Lena shifted, stiffened, relaxed, but Kara felt the flash heat of anger coming off her body. Kara waited to see if Lena was going to say anything. The minutes ticked by in the darkness, and with each one, the tension in Lena's body melted away until she'd regained control of her emotions and took a calming breath.

"I have often wondered about that very thing, Kara. I won't lie to you," Lena admitted. The words hung between them, and Kara squashed the urge to defend Alex.

"She means well," she said. "But… I need… I need her to trust that I know what's best for me."

"And what is best for Kara Danvers according to Kara Danvers?" Kara grinned at the light tone. Lena eased her out of the darkness.

When Kara sat up, Lena let her go without a fuss. She looked down at Lena looking up at her in darkness. The pale orange light from the street below illuminated the room enough to see the expression on her face, the unique contours of her jaw and cheekbones. Lena waited, pressing none of her own desires for Kara upon the moment. That had been what she asked of Alex, just unconditional love and support. Alex wasn't incapable of it, she knew that much. Alex had simply been pushed into a role of protector as a girl and had grown into the role of warden as an adult. It really wasn't her fault. Kara had needed her to make decisions when she hadn't understood a situation or when she had accidentally trusted someone she shouldn't have. It wasn't Alex's fault that she'd been conditioned to control her little alien sister's life, but Kara wasn't a child anymore. Things needed to change.

"I… really want to be super romantic and say you're what's best for me." They chuckled, grounding themselves in the lighter sides of themselves before they got lost in the pain.

"Anyone who says Kara Danvers is not smooth has never heard her woo a woman," Lena joked.

Kara rolled her eyes. "You and I both know I have no finesse at all."

"None," Lena agreed with a smile that showed her teeth in the dim room. Kara reached for her glasses, her nervous tick, and realized that she hadn't been wearing them the entire evening. Lena hadn't mentioned it, so she dropped her hand into her lap.

"Lena, I don't know how to ask you to be with me when I have so much to work through. I want this. I want you, but… it's really not fair to ask that of you when I have so much damage to deal with."

Lena reached into her lap and slipped her hand beneath Kara's, squeezing gently until Kara looked up at her. She jiggled their hands back and forth, smiling up at Kara like she'd just given her the best gift of a lifetime. It was contagious, and Kara felt her own mouth tugging upward to return it, exercising muscles that hadn't seen much use lately.

"Kara, I am going to say something, and I want you to listen carefully and accept it for exactly what it is," Lena said. Kara nodded, afraid to shatter the thick energy swirling between them. Lena sat up and turned to her, cross-legged on the sofa. Her knee pressed into Kara's tucked beneath her. Lena took both of her hands and brought them to her mouth, pressing a long kiss to the middle knuckle of each one. Lena held them in her lap and looked up at Kara.

"The moment I told you that I loved you, I agreed to be present for whatever life brought you until you decided that wasn't what you wanted anymore. I'm asking you what you want, not what you think you should do or what you think your family expects. What do you want, Kara? Tell me what you want, and I'll be that as long as it doesn't compromise me emotionally."

"I want to start over, Lena," Kara said without overthinking the answer. "Can we start over?"

"No," Lena said and squeezed her hands. "We can't start over, Kara, but we can move forward. We can learn how to make room in our lives for each other."

Kara nodded. That sounded better anyway. "What does that mean? As friends or…"

"I'm not sure I could ever just be your friend," Lena answered honestly. "But if that's what you need right now, I can try." Kara nodded. Lena squeezed her hands.

"No more dodging my texts and calls." Kara nodded again. "Don't ask me to fuck you unless you want more than friendship. You used me, Kara, and I let you because I saw how much you've been hurting, but… I can't do that more than once, not without hurting myself, and I've worked so hard to find a place where I didn't want to hurt myself that I can't fall back into those old patterns."

"I'm sorry," Kara whispered. Tears burned her throat again, and she wondered how she had more after what she'd just cried.

"Don't be sorry. We made that decision together, and I accept responsibility for my part in it. You don't owe me an apology. I'm simply telling you what I need," Lena clarified. "I've allowed you to discard and mistreat me because I saw your pain, Kara, but I won't allow that for long. You understand?"

Kara nodded, still looking at their joined hands. "I don't think I want to be your friend, Lena, but I can't be your partner right now."

Lena sighed, and Kara raised her eyes to study the expression on her face. Lena looked… relieved? The CEO brushed fingers over her own face and then pushed damp fingers into Kara's hair, brushing a thumb over Kara's cheekbone.

"Promise me that you'll take steps to get better, and I can give that to you," Lena whispered. Kara knew what Lena offered – her trust and loyalty and her tender, tender heart.

"I promise." Kara covered Lena's hand on her cheek, turned her head to press a kiss into the palm. "I promise, Lena."

Kara leaned forward and touched her forehead to Lena's. She kept her mouth shut for fear of ruining the foundation of their relationship they'd managed to preserve. She touched Lena's hair, slipped strands between her fingers and let them glide to the end of the black tips, moved her hand to Lena's cheek.

"What do you want, Lena?" She asked. The breath of her words hit Lena's mouth, came back to her own lips.

"Would it be pressing my luck to ask for a kiss?" Lena teased. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, and a familiar fire lit in Kara's belly.

"Lena," Kara started.

"You're in control, Kara. I don't understand where the boundaries of our relationship are," Lena explained and pulled back a little to look into Kara's eyes.

"What's between friends and partners?" Kara asked.

"Dating?" Lena chewed her lower lip, eyes drooping to gaze at Kara's mouth. "With occasional sex and heated, middle school style make-out session."

"Then no," Kara grinned a little, "a kiss is not too much to ask for." Kara applied the tiniest amount of pressure against Lena's jaw, guiding their mouths together. They held their lips closed, touching but not moving, and let their straggling emotions catch up to the moment.

"Have we found a boundary, darling?" Lena asked, her voice deep with arousal and need and shuddering with the emotion of it all.

"I like these boundaries," she confirmed.

Kara leaned back, pulling Lena with her. Lena followed without resistance, straddling Kara's hips as she scooted down on the sofa. Her hand glided up Kara's chest, between her breasts, and wrapped around her neck. It was the only overtly sexual contact Lena initiated, and Kara allowed it to be what it was, basking in the feeling of Lena pressed against her. Their lips met over and over, deepening and pulling back. Kara felt like a teenager again, unsure and hesitant and explorative but not quite able to commit. Lena's thighs squeezed hers a few times, aching to seek more contact that Lena denied herself. Kara ran her hands up Lena's bare legs, dipping fingertips beneath the shorts and pulling back. She placed them on Lena's waist, her back. They needed this, Kara felt it in the way Lena's fingers dug into her neck, the wet sighs between kisses.

Lena was letting herself get lost in the feeling, wanting nothing more and taking what she offered. She'd just needed Kara to open up, to trust that she wouldn't run screaming for her high-security office behind armed guards and the threat of Luthor insanity. There was no blame or judgement or anger in her actions that night. She'd understood because Kara let down her guard and allowed her to understand.

"Where are you?" Lena asked, holding her face high enough to meet Kara's eyes when she opened them. It had grown lighter outside, the purple hint of morning peeping over the horizon.

"Sorry," Kara whispered. Lena pushed blonde hair from her face, tucked it behind an ear.

"It's alright, Darling." Lena left it at that, no prying, no begging. She moved further down Kara's body and rested her head atop Kara's chest. Heat pulsed just above Kara's thighs, saying what Lena refused. Her body responded despite her mind's urging to remain passive to Kara's touch. Kara acknowledged it but said nothing. No part of her wanted to try and have emotional sex with Lena that morning.

"I was thinking about you, if that helps at all." Kara felt the vibration of a chuckle against her belly. "You've been really understanding, and I appreciate that more than I say. I know I've been… difficult, but I really thought you wouldn't…" Kara let out a big, frustrated sigh. She rubbed her hands up Lena's sides, back down to her hips.

"You were afraid that I'd leave if I knew the truth," Lena offered and raised her head to look at Kara who nodded.

Lena looked exhausted, and Kara figured she was after spending half the night comforting and kissing her. Kara sat up, keeping Lena's legs wrapped around her and stood. Lena let out a little surprised sound by how quickly it happened and clung to Kara's shoulders. Kara carried her to the bed and laid her down, careful not to jostle her too much. She settled on her side, facing Lena, and pulled the blankets over them. Lena looked at her for a moment, assessing the situation. Kara let Lena see her, the intention behind her eyes, the trust she tried so desperately to give. Lena bent her head and nestled into Kara's chest. A few minutes burrowed in the warmth of the superhero, Lena's breathing deepened as she dropped into unconsciousness. Kara kept her wrapped tightly in her arms and watched the sun rise over the shadowed cityscape beyond her apartment.


	9. Chapter 9

here ye be, my pretties! Thank you for the reviews and new follows. Hope you're having a good time with this angsty thing I've done.

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Kara hummed as she woke and stretched her arms over her head. She dropped them to the bed, reaching out for Lena without opening her eyes. The scent of food and coffee permeated her sleep-addled brain, and Kara smiled as her stomach responded with a little gurgle. When Kara opened her eyes, she realized that Lena had pulled the blinds around the bed, keeping the sun from charging her cells, and a comfortable lethargy made her muscles pleasantly heavy. Kara slipped out of the bed and wandered into the open area of her apartment with bare feet. Lena stood at the stove, back to her, one hand on her hip giving her body shape beneath the oversized shirt. With the other she moved something around a skillet. Like a magnet, Lena's presence drew her steel body closer.

"Morning," Kara murmured and wrapped her arms around Lena's waist. Lena stiffened, probably startled from whatever brilliant thought Kara had interrupted.

"Morning, Darling," Lena whispered and set her free hand on Kara's forearm just below her breasts. Kara nuzzled Lena's loose hair, pressing her face into Lena's neck. She closed her eyes and inhaled the faint hint of perfume leftover from the previous day, a wisp of Lena's shampoo.

"Your breakfast will burn if you don't release me," Lena warned, patting her arm.

Kara grumbled like a toddler but dropped her arms and stepped back. Leaning against the island, Kara made sure to pout when Lena glanced over her shoulder. The older woman rolled her eyes, grinning. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out eggs, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Reaching around Kara, she set the vegetables on the wooden chopping board, and put the eggs beside the stovetop. Kara watched her finish up the bacon and cover it with a paper towel.

"Did you get enough sleep?" Lena asked, back still to her.

"More than I've gotten in months. Thanks for pulling the blinds." Kara glanced towards the windows and debated opening them now that she was awake and moving. She liked the sleepiness of her muscles, the weakness of them. With Lena, there was no need to be at her strongest. They were equals in the darkness.

"No more dreams?" Lena poured coffee into the cup waiting by the pot and added milk and sugar for Kara who lived on sweet things as much as sunlight. Kara chewed her lower lip. Lena remembered how she liked her coffee.

Kara shook her head when Lena finally turned to her and held out the mug. She took a sip and studied the tightness in Lena's shoulders over the cup. Lena looked a little lost.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked. The tension softened a little, but Lena crossed her arms, protecting herself from the emotions the question evoked. Without looking, Kara sat the mug to the side of the chopping board but stayed where she leaned against the island, not wanting to spook the other woman before she was ready to speak.

"My mother called this morning to ask for a meeting," Lena said after a moment of deliberation.

"Oh." Kara bit her lip again. "Are you going to see her?"

"I'll admit, I am curious about what she could possibly want after a year of living in the same city with no contact. I agreed to lunch this afternoon." Lena's arms uncurled slowly, almost deliberately. She tried to trust Kara, to let down her defenses again. It meant much more this time. Kara knew it wasn't something that merely happened spontaneously as they fell in love. This trust was consciously given.

"Want me to go with you?" Kara asked. Lena let out a laugh that startled Kara.

"At least you didn't offer to send Supergirl," Lena explained her laughter. "I can handle my mother. You have plenty to worry about without my subjecting you to Lillian Luthor."

The CEO flipped her hair over her shoulder and stepped into Kara, pressing her into the island. Kara spread her legs, making room for the body between them to mold around hers, and slipped her arms around Lena's back in a gentle hug. Lena's hands slid up and down her sides over the thin material of the tank top. Her body relaxed into Kara's, the tension melting from her muscles as Lena let go of her stress for at least that moment. Kara closed her eyes and tipped her head back a little, sinking into the sensations of the other woman touching her. She could be this for Lena, a place of solace for a moment in time. It frightened her, the way Lena affected her. Gooseflesh spread over her arms and chest. Heat tingled at the bottom of her belly. Lena pressed a kiss to her throat. Kara swallowed, feeling Lena's lips shift with the movement.

"Is this okay, Kara?" Lena asked, ghosting her lips over Kara's skin.

"Ye…" Kara cleared her throat. "Yes."

Lena kissed the side of her neck, flicking the tip of her tongue against the spot. Kara angled her mouth down when Lena came up for a kiss. It wasn't soft, but Lena demanded nothing. She expressed the things she'd kept locked away because Kara had asked her to when she'd ended their relationship. That ache hadn't gone away because Lena had denied it was there. The tip of Lena's tongue teased at her lip, and Kara opened her mouth. A deep moan vibrated her throat when Lena's tongue glided over her own. Kara pulled her closer, hands slipping over her waist and beneath the hem of her shirt. Lena's back felt hot and quivered a little. Kara wasn't sure if it was anticipation, anxiety, or fear, but she held her tight and gave Lena the power to set the pace.

Kara's stomach let out a mighty growl, and Lena broke the kiss with laughter. She rested her forehead against Kara's and breathed heavily against her lips. Kara's breasts pressed into Lena's, two pieces of thin fabric separating them. Lena's larger nipples poked through and pushed against the flesh of Kara's smaller breasts. It was glory. It was peace. This woman's body brought her peace, Kara decided.

"Let me take care of you, Lena," Kara managed around the barrage of thoughts cutting through her own arousal.

"Let me feed you before you die of starvation first," Lena responded and pulled back. She nudged Kara away from the counter and picked up the knife by the cutting board.

Lena was afraid to give into it. Kara didn't blame her for that. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Lena's belly and plastered herself to Lena's back, head turned to the side against her shoulder. She closed her eyes and listened to the thunking of metal against wood, the tear and crunch of vegetables being prepared for their breakfast. Lena ran her fingertips up and down her forearm, leaning into the hug for a moment. Kara thought she might get shooed away again, but Lena went back to chopping without a word.

"Have you been possessed by a koala this morning, darling?" Lena teased. Kara lifted her cheek and pressed a kiss onto Lena's shoulder, marking a path to her neck.

"You're just so comfy and warm and soft…" Kara nuzzled her neck. Lena laughed and raised a hand to the back of Kara's neck, leaning back into the embrace.

"I'm going to call you that from now on, Koala Danvers. You'll have to quote me in interviews. Press integrity and all that."

Kara fake gasped at the implied scandal and blew the air out against Lena's neck. Lena squealed and giggled, squirming away from her mouth. Kara held her tight until she settled back against her. Kara rested her mouth against the slope of Lena's neck. Lena covered her arms with both hands, turned her face slightly towards Kara's.

"I've had worst nicknames," Kara murmured against her skin. "Ms. Grant called me Sunny Danvers in front of the entire newsroom one time back when I was her assistant."

Lena chuckled. Her hand moved up and down Kara's arm, the other moving back to Kara's neck. Blunt nails scratched lightly at her hair line, tangling in small strands. They swayed slightly to a tune unheard but shared. After a moment, Lena went back to chopping bell peppers. Kara settled in for a good snuggle, loving on Lena for the sake of loving on her. Lena needed comfort, too, and she'd finally stopped shying away from Kara's touches that morning. Kara couldn't blame her. Neither of them knew what they really wanted or where they stood, they just knew that they loved each other and wanted to be close.

Kara heard the elevator ding at the end of the hallway and tuned in to see who was up that early on a Sunday morning. Alex sighed and stepped off. Her grip on Lena's stomach tightened, and the CEO touched her arm again, squeezing. Lena turned her head towards Kara but said nothing, and Kara appreciated the silent comfort, the invitation to talk about the sudden change in her energy. She pressed her face into Lena's neck and enjoyed the feeling of her for a few more seconds. The key turned in the lock, and the door swung open without warning. Lena flinched, but Kara stayed hidden in her neck.

"Oh, you have got to be joking. This is why you haven't been answering my calls and texts? What, too busy cuddling in the kitchen to hear the damn phone?"

"Just be glad you didn't interrupt a sexy moment in the kitchen when you barged into my apartment," Kara sniped back, still buried in Lena's neck. The woman in front of her had gone rigid and tense, and Kara let her go, took her hand when she stepped beside her.

Alex slammed the door, and Kara finally looked at her sister. The agent limped to the middle of the room. Bruises covered her face and arms. A stitched gash on her cheek oozed a little from Alex's increased blood pressure. Kara dropped Lena's hand and circled the island.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Kara asked. Alex slapped her hands away when she reached for big sister and glared at Kara in a way she'd seen before but never directed at her.

"Get out, Lena," Alex demanded.

"That is not your request to make, Agent Danvers," Lena responded as cool as ever and crossed her arms. Kara looked between the two women, not quite sure who she should have defended.

"Goddamn it, Lena, I lost two team members last night and I need to talk to my sister! I don't actually care why you're here or what happened last night. Could you stop being a pain in the ass for five seconds?" Alex wavered on her feet, slapped Kara's hands away for a second time, and limped to the sofa.

"You should go, Lena." Lena nodded. She squeezed Kara's shoulder on the way to the partition.

Alex and Kara stared at each other, waiting to be alone. Kara crossed her arms and swallowed the tightness in her throat. She knew most of the agents in Alex's unit. Someone else she cared about had died a few hours earlier, maybe while she'd been dreaming, maybe while she'd been playing with Lena's hair on the sofa watching television. Alex had called because she'd needed Supergirl. Kara had been selfish for one night, and people died. She covered her eyes with one hand and cried silently.

"Kara," Lena said a moment before she touched her shoulders.

"Just go, Lena," Kara said without uncovering her eyes. Lena's touch disappeared. A moment later, Kara heard the taps of her heels on the hardwood floor. She looked up and saw Lena try and touch Alex's shoulder. Alex flinched away and glared dangerously at the other woman.

"I'm so sorry about your team members, Agent Danvers," Lena murmured. Alex took a breath to say something, clamped her mouth shut, and nodded.

Kara caught Lena's arm as she passed wearing the blue dress she'd worn the previous night. Kara studied the green eyes looking at her. She saw the doubt, the weight of the world crashing down on Lena.

"Text me later. I want to hear about your lunch," Kara said, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face. Lena nodded and left without another word.

Kara watched her leave until the door closed. The tension and worry had returned to Lena's body, and Kara added that to the top of the guilt coiled in her stomach. She'd made a promise, and she wouldn't let Lena down again, even if she went completely insane. Alex glared up at her from the couch when she turned back to her sister.

"Alex, I'm… I'm so sorry. I…"

"Don't," Alex interrupted the apology and stood. "I don't care about your apology, Kara, but there is an entire room of DEO agents in the med bay because I told them that Supergirl would be there, and you never showed. Did you even listen to my messages?"

"What happened?" Kara asked.

"We were tracking an alien. We were ambushed by a group of humans with super weapons, Kara. I think it was supposed to be a warning from Cadmus. They knew you weren't there, they're watching you."

"Which means they're watching Lena, too," Kara added.

"Or Lena is feeding them information about you," Alex countered, throwing her hands in the air. She winced and grabbed her right shoulder.

"Lena doesn't even know I'm Supergirl." Kara stepped into Alex's personal space, and the agent crossed her arms.

"Lena Luthor is not an idiot, Kara. Think hard about what you're doing with her. I'm still not convinced she isn't a part of Cadmus. They appeared about the same time she came back into town, and she just happens to run into sweet and innocent Kara Danvers in a chocolate shop. Are you kidding me?"

"Are you saying that someone as rich and powerful as Lena Luthor could never love someone like me?" Kara put her hands on her hips. It was a defensive gesture, but she knew Alex read the hurt all over her face.

"Of course not, Kara. Anyone would be lucky to have you." Alex softened and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm saying that I don't trust her, and the coincidences that I can't ignore are adding up against her and you shouldn't ignore them either."

"I'm not wrong about her, Alex. She is good and kind and not at all like her brother. Why won't you trust me?"

"Sanchez and Johnson," Alex said, pointing at the door. "I have to go tell their wives that the fathers of their children aren't coming home, Kara. If you're not going to show up for missions, fine. That's your choice since you don't work for the DEO, but I need to know that when you do decide to show up that your head is going to be in the fight or if I'm going to be distracted."

Kara dropped eyes to the floor as another wave of tears threatened to explode. Alex took two steps towards her and crossed her arms. Kara wiped her face, tried to look at Alex. It hurt too much. She went to the window, instead, and pulled the string that opened the blind. The sunlight hit her body, tingling to her bones as her super strength charged under the warmth of the yellow rays. She felt Alex's energy at her back and opened her eyes, seeing the city she'd sworn to protect below her, breathing easier and thriving because she'd made them feel safe.

"How much of this is grief and how much of this is you being fed up with me?" Kara asked. Her voice was small, hardly recognizable as her own. Kara touched the warm glass with both palms and leaned her forehead against it.

"I don't know, Kara. If a normal agent had been exhibiting your carelessness, they'd have been taken out of the field a long time ago. Maybe it's time for you to take a break and decide what you want." It wasn't mean, though there was an edge in her sister's voice. Alex was hurting, she had every right to be angry.

Kara turned to her and wiped her face again. "I don't know who I am anymore, Alex."

"Figure it out, Kara. I have work to do." Alex turned on her uninjured leg and stalked as quickly as possible from her apartment. Even limping, Alex looked intimidating.

Kara watched her leave, too. When the door closed, she dropped onto the floor cross-legged and leaned forward until her face touched the floor. She wanted to cry again, but they refused to form in her eyes. She didn't deserve the release of a good cry. Kara took a breath and sat up, propping her heavy body against the wall beneath the window. The source of her power surrounded her, and she'd found the one spot where the shadow enveloped her instead. Tiny flecks of dust drifted through the light. She watched them change direction with the force of her breath. How easily she disrupted their path, one breath, one moment. Kara closed her eyes, lulling her head back and forth on the window sill. One moment, one breath, one person, one look, one word – human beings held the power to destroy each other, and often they exercised that power. Not with physical violence, no… not with the violence that permeated her life.

Kara opened her eyes and dragged her body to its feet. She needed her suit. Alex was right. There was work to do.


	10. Chapter 10

So, I've been nitpicking at this chapter for days. I need to give a huge thank you to FourOfTen for her assistance with Cat Grant's dialogue, because apparently, I can't do it right. ;) And... she's not wrong, but Cat is such a great character. So, here it be. Love on her for making Cat awesome in this chapter.

Song: Water Under the Bridge by Adele

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Kara perched atop a pillar with a flat top on Cat Grant's balcony and looked over the city flickering below. The lights in the office were dark, she was alone, not unusual for a Sunday night. She kicked her feet, bouncing the heels of her red boots on the cement and letting them reverberate. Her shoulders slumped forward, leaning toward restless hands picking at the hem of her skirt. Kara looked in the direction of Alex's apartment to the left, at the edge of the business district. She'd not heard from Alex all day. To the right, L-Corp's top floor was lit up, telling her Lena was there without using her super powers. Lena hadn't texted after her lunch with her mother. Both probably needed her. She figured neither of them had eaten for hours.

She imagined Lena stomped around her office and buried herself in work after dealing with Lillian. She'd only told Kara a few stories, but she'd gotten the idea of who Lillian was from them. Alex was probably drunk… and angry… and really drunk. Kara sighed. A drunk, angry Alex was the last thing she wanted to deal with that moment. She had the support of the DEO and Eliza and her cop friend Maggie. She was probably fine, maybe. Lena was likely drunk, too… and angry… and stompy. Alex was her sister, her rock and constant support, even if they had been on shaky ground for a few months. Lena was her kind of, possible girlfriend. Was she? Lena needed her more, she should have gone to L-Corp, yet there she sat on Cat Grant's balcony.

"Adulting sucks." She kicked her boots again. "Why do I always have to choose? Why do I always have to make a choice? Why can't I just have both? For once, can't the universe just give me what I want without fucking everything up..."

"Supergirl curses, breaking news at six." Kara looked over her shoulder and found Cat leaning against the doorway of her office. She hadn't even heard her.

"I curse, Ms. Grant, just not where the public can hear me," Kara said and turned back to the city. Cat joined her at the railing and leaned on her forearms. She wasn't wearing her shoes. "People are afraid of angry aliens."

"So, my balcony is your swearing space?" Cat asked, flippant. Kara grinned a little.

"Or cruising altitude, but I didn't feel like flying today. Besides, you curse more in a minute than I do in a day, I didn't think it would bother you." Kara added the last bit for good measure. Kara knew it wouldn't have bothered Cat, but Supergirl wasn't around her that often.

"Not at all, but I am enjoying these little glimpses into who you are." Cat looked up at her, and Kara pulled the tail of her cape into her lap and twisted the fabric.

"Please don't start that again, Ms. Grant. I really... I really can't deal with more... I... I have a lot going on," Kara admitted. She needed advice.

"I gathered from the muttering and use of the word fuck at regular intervals."

Kara snorted a kind-of laugh and looked over the city. Cat allowed the silence to linger for a moment, giving Supergirl the chance to collect herself. Kara had always appreciated Cat's quiet strength and comfort and her biting motivation. The cool air of the evening cleared her head and raised goosebumps on Cat's arms, but the woman never shivered or said a word. Cat was tougher than a cool evening.

"Two people I care for very much are hurting right now. They need me, and I…"

"Need to sit on my balcony and curse?" Cat said.

"Yes. My life," Kara waved her hand over the city, "beyond all of this is complicated and hard."

"So, you do have a day job." Cat smirked when Kara's head whipped towards her.

"All of this is off the record, Ms. Grant," she clarified. Cat gave a little shrug and clasped her hands together, dangling them over the balcony. Kara took a breath, exhaled. Cat helped make sense of it all.

"I have a day job. I have to pay rent, and I eat a lot. I mean, a lot." Cat chuckled, and Kara laughed at herself. Her smile faded when a siren screamed across the city, audible with regular hearing. Cat said nothing when she stayed still on the pillar.

"Being Supergirl has cost me a lot. Family, friends, a partner."

"Partner? Now that is intriguing," Cat said and turned to face her, leaning on one arm with her hands still clasped.

"Ms. Grant," Kara lamented, but she felt better, talking with Cat about her life—even if she had to do it as Supergirl. "She doesn't know who I am. It's why I… It's… I don't want to put her in danger."

Cat seemed unfazed by the revelation of a part of her sexuality, so Kara continued.

"We're trying to… I want to be with her. I have never loved anyone the way I love her, but it's complicated and my family doesn't approve. They don't think I can trust her with…" Kara touched the crest on her chest. "This," she murmured, tracing the raised fabric. "I don't think I can handle losing anyone else, and it's…" Kara waved her hands in the direction of Alex's building and L-Corp, let them fall heavily into her lap.

"It's pulling you in two different directions," Cat finished for her, and Kara nodded. Cat took a deep breath in and out and looked out over the city for a moment, collecting her thoughts, digesting the wealth of personal information Supergirl had revealed. It was confidential, but it expressed a trust and bond previously unstated in their relationship.

"You're not unique in that regard, Supergirl. Oh you might be an alien and a superhero but you're not unique in finding yourself at a crossroads, life suddenly tugging your cape in different directions."

"I know," Kara said. She nibbled on her lip and wiped at a tear discreetly but never doubted that Cat Grant saw it.

"But, being you adds a certain amount of difficulty I can't even begin to fathom," Cat added, easing off. It wasn't time for hard-punching Cat, not yet. It was time for wise, sage Cat. She turned to Kara and studied her for a moment, eyes sweeping over her face, her defeated posture. She'd only seen Supergirl so distraught once, after the alteration of her brain that compelled her to toss Cat from the balcony where they currently sat.

"I imagine it takes someone just as unique to capture the heart of a hero," she said and watched a smile transform Supergirl's youthful face.

"She didn't capture it, I gave it to her... freely."

"Oh, you really are too sweet for your own good." Cat rolled her eyes. "Now, I don't know about the concerns your family might have or what fresh hell tomorrow might bring, but the fact that my city's resident hero is brooding on my balcony over a girl she clearly is head over heels for just doesn't sit right with me, so…"

"I'm not brooding," Kara muttered through a small smile, but Cat just waved a hand at the interruption.

"Go," Cat said, fixing her with wide, wild eyes, the same look she got when she sent her reporters after a major story. They were full of fire and determination, hope and love. All of the things Cat kept shut off from the public but allowed those close to her heart to see. "Go get the girl. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and there is no point fretting about it. You need to think about yourself, too, Supergirl. The fact you are here mooning like a teenager means this woman is special and you deserve nothing less than extraordinary, so go on, scoot."

"How is it you make everything better?" Kara smiled down at her.

"My assistant tells me it's my superpower," she said with a wry smirk.

"She's right. Thank you, Ms. Grant."

Kara dove off the balcony and disappeared high in the night sky, hiding her trail from the curious woman who already knew far more about her superhero persona than she preferred. Kara wasn't concerned. She trusted Cat Grant. Kara ducked behind a dumpster and slipped into her street clothes before joining a smattering of folks walking around the city on a Sunday evening. It was still early yet, but the coolness and early darkness of fall kept most folks off the streets on a work night. She spotted the yellow and green food truck at the edge of the plaza that made the best Venezuelan food in all of National City. When she stepped up to the window, the owner at the grinned at her, recognizing her because Kara was the queen of cheap, tasty food in large quantities. Kara checked her watch and chewed her lip. The truck had technically closed ten minutes ago.

"For you, I will make an exception. The grill is still warm," the woman said.

"Oh my god, thank you. Can I just have an order of bean dip and salsa and two shrimp cachapas? Oh, and no cheese on one," Kara ordered for her and Lena. The world would have gone nuts if they realized Lena Luthor ate at food trucks and relished the experience. Anything she'd never experienced as a child, Lena grabbed with both hands. Kara loved showing her the world of the lower class, more than she'd already seen.

The woman nodded and turned back to the grill. Kara pulled out her phone, still not seeing any messages or calls from either woman in her life. It was disconcerting after being bombarded constantly by both for days. She called Alex and held the phone to her ear. Alex's voicemail message started after two rings, which meant she either turned off her phone or was out of service somewhere. Kara figured it was the first. Alex retreated when she was wounded—turned off the phones, locked the doors and windows, drank until it didn't hurt so much. Her sister was as much a mess as she was. It wasn't Alex's fault, or hers, that her planet exploded and she landed on Earth. They made the best of the circumstances they'd been given, and Kara had inadvertently asked a lot from Alex.

"Here you go," the woman called happily. Kara envied her. Her joy seemed genuine.

"Thank you so much." Kara pulled two twenties out of her wallet and gave them to the woman with a big smile and a nod. "Have a good night!"

"You, too," the woman called after her as Kara walked quickly towards L-Corp, maybe using some super speed to hurry the process along when she wasn't around people.

Security at the front door waved her on through, knowing her face by then and following Lena's orders to let her up at any time. Kara held the bag in front of her, and it knocked against her knees gently as it swayed with the movement of the elevator. Elevators drove her nuts. She could have just flown to the balcony. She could do that if Lena knew about Supergirl. Kara sighed and knocked on the door.

"Get the girl. Save the day," she pep-talked herself with Cat Grant's words.

"What?" Lena snapped on the other side.

Kara winced and opened the door a crack and poked her head in with a little grin. Lena's death glare relaxed along with the rest of the tension in her body. The container of scotch that usually lived on the side table was on her desk beside the tumbler. Lena dropped her pen and pushed her chair back, leaving her heels beneath the desk when she stood. Kara held up the bag of food like a shield and stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.

"I figure you hadn't eaten since lunch," she said.

Lena wobbled a little but met her in the middle of the room and wrapped her arms around Kara's back, burying her face in her neck. Kara wrapped her free arm around her back and pressed a kiss to the top of Lena's head. The tautness of her muscles eased in Lena's embrace, and Kara knew she'd made the right decision. Lena shifted and rested her cheek on Kara's shoulder, bringing one hand flat against Kara's collarbone on the opposite side. The sweet spice of scotch hung around her mouth, and Kara inhaled, enjoying the scent of it there if not the reason for it. Lena always smelled good.

"How was lunch with your mother?" Kara asked, angling her mouth near Lena's cheek. The CEO made a sound of disgust. Kara already knew it hadn't gone well.

"I wasn't certain of your sincerity after this morning," Lena admitted, almost sounding guilty for doubting Kara.

"You have every right to worry about that. I haven't exactly been consistent," Kara forgave her so easily and relished the feeling of being needed, if only for a few moments of comfort after a hard day. She could be this for Lena.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here now," Kara added when the silence lingered. Lena's heartbeat spiked ever so slightly, responding to the words though her outward calm never quivered.

"Thank you," Lena murmured and moved her face closer to her neck. She pressed a kiss there just above the round ending of her clavicle. Kara closed her eyes, arm tightening around Lena's back.

"I can't stay long, Lena." The CEO nodded and raised her head. Kara almost protested, but she had other things to handle that night. "I still need to go check on Alex."

"Of course, darling," Lena accepted the new information with any dramatic reaction.

Lena was simply happy being thought of and cared for enough to merit a visit. Kara could do this. She was doing this. Kara stepped back and took Lena's hand, leading her to the sofa. Lena allowed Kara to pull her down and watched her take food out of the plastic bag. She handed Lena plastic cutlery and the foam box that was marked to indicate the lack of cheese and set the salsa and one bag of chips on the table. Lena opened the box and cut off a bite, humming as the flavor hit her tongue. Kara smiled as she stood and crossed to the desk. She capped the glass decanter and moved it and the tumbler back to the small table. She returned with a glass of water and put it on the table in front of Lena.

"You're meeting with investors tonight," she said, happy that her tone came out neutral and not judgmental of Lena's choices. She'd had a hard day. Lena said nothing and took another bite of food, swallowed.

"I'm meeting with my potential new partner in Japan," Lena clarified and leaned forward to set the container onto the table. She picked up the water and took a long drink.

Kara nodded. "You've got this."

Lena grinned around another sip of water. Kara reached over and took her free hand, threading her fingers into Lena's. They looked at their joined hands, silent. Lena brushed her thumb up and down the length of Kara's. There was still so much more to be said. Neither of them knew what to say.

"I'm trying, Lena," Kara said without looking up at those emerald eyes that brought her to her knees.

"Me too," Lena whispered. Kara heard in her voice that the walls of trust faltered but hadn't fallen. She hadn't expected them to after one night and a surprise dinner. Lena raised her eyes, and Kara's instinctively followed. "This week will be busy for me. I'll text you, but I would like to keep our dinner date on Friday."

Kara grinned and pushed her glasses higher onto her nose. "No cow tongue, please. I'll wear a nice dress."

Lena bit her lower lip, eyes flickering to her mouth for less than a second before steadying on Kara's clear glacier-colored blue. Lena made a little sound and held up a finger as she stood. She went to the coat rack where her purse hung and dug in it for a moment, producing a white, plastic card. She handed it to Kara as she sat on the sofa.

"Security passes were reissued at my building after the last attack at the L-Corp renaming ceremony. I understand our relationship isn't quite there, but I figured if I still had a key, we should be equal," Lena explained and clicked her thumbnails together with anxiety of how Kara might perceive the gesture.

"You could just give the key back if you're uncomfortable," Kara said and looked up from the card with her name and picture and a black magnetic strip across the bottom.

"That feels like a step backwards, don't you think?" Lena asked, sincere and searching for some footing that Kara wasn't providing.

Kara smiled and covered her hands with her larger one. "Well, I won't… this, it's… I don't want to go backwards." Kara took a breath to stop the rambling and looked up at Lena. "I will text or call before I let myself in."

"That is appreciated." Lena relaxed and turned her left hand up to take Kara's one more time, squeezing it tightly for a long moment before letting it go and picking up her food. "You should go see your sister."

Kara nodded. "I'll see you Friday."

"Can't wait," Lena said with a soft smile.

"You can text me about your lunch with your mom, if you want to," Kara offered. Lena forced a smile, the one that told Kara that she probably wouldn't but appreciated the offer all the same. It was the smile that told Kara how much Lillian continued to hurt her

Kara wanted to kiss her, but she stood up instead and rounded the coffee table, gathering the rest of the food she'd bought for Alex. A giddy knot of energy pulsed in her chest, and she spared one last look at Lena as she opened the door. No one had the right to tell them they weren't allowed to feel that way, falling in love a second time. It was deeper and scarier and more intimate because they understood exactly how much they would hurt if it fell apart again. Still, this resiliency of human nature, of love, gave Kara a hope she'd not felt in so very long. Since before Astra's death. She smiled and nodded at the security guards as she found her way back to the front of the building. Ducking behind a bush, she changed and exploded into the air.

She flew in Alex's window, not bothering with knocking that would yield no result. Alex was slouched on the sofa, both feet on the coffee table and a glass of amber-colored liquid in her hand. She never even startled at the sound of her sister landing on the hardwood floor beside the sofa. Alex raised the glass to her mouth and drained the contents.

"Go away, Kara," she said in a dry, raspy voice from too much whiskey. Her feet dropped to the floor, and Alex threw her body forward, catching her weight on her elbows atop her knees. She fumbled with a pack of cigarettes on the table and lit one, head still hanging between her shoulders.

"I'm not going anywhere, Alex," Kara said, firm but gentle.

She went to the kitchen, set the food on the island, and filled a glass of water. She'd not seen Alex smoke since her wild days between college and med school. She'd be accomplishing something if she got Alex to stop drinking. There was no way she'd get food into her in the next few hours. Kara sat beside her on the sofa and put the water on the table beside the coffee cup currently being used as an ashtray. A framed picture of Alex and Jeremiah lay in front of the mug. Kara picked it up and blew cigarette ash from the glass and rubbed her hand over it. In the photo, Alex was young—younger than she'd been when Kara arrived on Earth. She grinned up at Jeremiah with stars in her eyes while he fiddled with his giant telescope. They appeared to be somewhere on the beach, but the fuzziness and low resolution of the night-time image made it difficult to tell for sure.

"Sanchez's daughter is 15," Alex said and took another drag from the half-gone cigarette.

"The same age you were when Jeremiah died," Kara murmured, still looking at the photo.

"Thank you for handling that alien down at the dock today. I technically can't do anything until my mandatory leaves is up, but still…" Alex shrugged and pulled more toxic smoke into her lungs.

Agents were required to undergo psychiatric evaluations after losing team members, a day or two tops, but with Alex's injuries, Kara figured she'd be out at least a week. She'd fought hard. Kara looked at the gash on her cheek. Alex stubbed the tip of the cigarette into the mug. White smoke swirled up, but Kara let it be.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning. I was… it was out line. You have every right to your personal life and to ignore DEO-related missions when you need a break."

"It's okay, Alex. I'm just glad you're okay. It could have been J'onn on my doorstep this morning telling me that you weren't coming home, and I…" Kara swallowed as spontaneous tears welled up. She blinked and they spilled onto her face. She brushed her thumb underneath the stitched cut on her sister's cheek. "I would never forgive myself if I could have changed that."

Alex nodded. Ugly, broken sobs were the only sound she managed, and Kara opened her arms when Alex leaned towards her. She picked Alex up, cradling her to her chest like a child. She felt small like a child, and vulnerable and broken. Kara took Alex to her bed on the raised platform across the room and laid her down, pulling back long enough to slip out of her suit before crawling into the bed in her bra and panties beside her sister. Alex rolled over, keeping her back to Kara in an attempt to preserve what little dignity she had left. She continued to shake and gasp with the tears that refused to stop. Alex had lost a lot, too. When Kara pressed her front against her sister's quivering back and wrapped an arm around her, Alex hadn't pushed her away but she hadn't pulled her closer, either. Kara held on tight and waited for exhaustion to overtake them.


	11. Chapter 11

So, I'm a little in love with this chapter, and this version of Kara in general. Thank you for the reviews and follows! Enjoy!

(Also, those who are wondering why everything is so angsty... clearly, we haven't met. My name is Sinmora. Please strap in.)

Song: Eden by Sara Bareilles.

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Kara watched Alex wake up and touch the side of her head before she groaned. It would have been funny, the consequence of drinking herself into a stupor, if Kara wasn't so frustrated by the situation, if people hadn't lost their lives. Rationally, she knew that none of that guilt was hers to share. She hadn't picked up the phone, she wasn't coming. It should have been clear. The other part of her recognizes that Alex just needed someone to lash out at, and she was convenient. The smallest part of her, but apparently the most powerful that morning, was tired of being the one Alex lashed out at simply because she knew Kara would never leave her side. It hadn't happened often, not on this scale, but it happened enough. Kara pushed her fork through another chunk of sticky bun and popped it in her mouth, chewing slowly and watching the lump of her sister become human again. Alex groaned again, and Kara took a sip of her coffee from Noonan's. Alex sat up, hands on her temples to try and ease the pounding there. Kara pushed her glasses higher with the knuckle of her forefinger. She wasn't nervous, they'd just slid down her nose from looking down at her sugary breakfast.

"Hey," she said when Alex finally looked up at her.

"I'm gonna be sick," Alex scratched out and stumbled out of the bed.

From the kitchen, Kara heard Alex hit her knees and heave into the toilet. She rolled her eyes and sighed through her nose as she took another drink of coffee. She set it down, abandoned her sticky bun at the island, and slipped off the stool. She gone home earlier and dressed and picked up something to soak up the rest of the alcohol in Alex's belly—which also happened to be one of her favorite comfort foods. She almost hadn't returned. She was annoyed. It wasn't something she often felt, especially when helping someone, but she was annoyed. Kara looked at Alex's bent, shuddering body, debated turning around and finishing her breakfast. She went to the tub and sat on the lip of it, instinctively reaching for her sister's short choppy hair. Kara pulled it away from her face with one hand and rubbed Alex's back with the other. The acidic tang of vomit hung in the air, and Kara wrinkled her nose.

"You okay?" She asked.

Alex nodded and rested her forehead on her arm, face still in the frame of the toilet seat. Good thing Alex was a neat freak and cleaned obsessively on her mandatory time off every week. She set back on her heels after a minute. Kara let her hair go and stepped around her sister to fill a glass of water at the sink. She handed it to Alex and leaned a shoulder on the door frame, crossing her arms, as her sister took a sip and rinsed her mouth. She spat into the toilet and looked up at Kara, pale and puffy and exhausted. It tugged at the humanity inside the alien.

"Come on, let's try and get something in you," Kara said.

She flushed the toilet as Alex took another drink and set the glass on the vanity. She lifted Alex underneath either arm, easily bringing her to her feet. They made it as far as the sofa, and Kara left her there. Alex slouched into the corner, feet up, head nestled against the back cushion. Kara put two sticky buns on a plate with a fork and brought it and Alex's plain black coffee, and the two aspirin she'd laid out earlier to the coffee table. She'd cleared away the ashtray mug and thrown away the pack of cigarettes first thing that morning before ever leaving to get ready for work. Alex looked at the food and grimaced but took the coffee and sipped it slowly, letting the warm liquid sooth her raw throat. She swallowed the pills, took another sip.

"Thanks, Kara," she said. It was sincere and earnest.

"Sure," Kara said and returned to her own food and perched on the stool. She studied her sister and put another sticky bun onto her plate before she finished the first one.

Alex took little pulls of the coffee and stared back. Kara had no idea what Alex thought, and she honestly wasn't sure she cared. She'd never thought of Alex as an inconvenience, but she'd taken the high road last night rather than be selfish and spending it with Lena, who also had needed her. Kara finished the second sticky bun and reached for a third before Alex ever moved, shifting forward enough to set the coffee on the table and retrieve the plate of food. Leaning back on the sofa, she gazed thoughtfully at Kara again.

"It's really happening, isn't it? You and Lena," Alex clarified.

"If I can get her to trust me again," Kara said, focusing on her pastry rather than Alex's face. She couldn't handle that look of disappointment, not this early, not after yesterday. Not after the last six months.

When she spared a wincing glance at Alex, however, the agent's eyes were fixed on the fork tearing little pieces of bread from the pastry without any noticeable interest in actually putting it in her mouth. Alex sighed and put the plate and fork back on the table and picked up her coffee.

When she leaned back, she looked at Kara and said, "I think she loves you."

Kara choked, grabbed at her coffee to wash down the huge chunk that had slid down her throat. Wouldn't do for National City's hero to die of suffocation from an ill-timed bit of sticky bun. "What?" she managed in a rasp.

Alex shrugged and took a sip, keeping her eyes carefully on the plastic lip where she picked with her thumbnail.

"Yesterday you were accusing her of working with Cadmus. Can you make up your mind about Lena because I'm really tired of being pulled back and forth," Kara snapped, dropping her fork onto her plate. It clattered, fell onto the counter. Alex winced at the sound. Kara tried to control the angry jerking of her breath.

"I said I think she loves you. I still don't trust her, and I'm still not convinced she is innocent. They're two different things, Kara," Alex explained. Kara's anger eased.

"How can they be two different things?" Kara asked. Alex had been nothing but confusing and unpredictable since she'd reconnected with Lena. She'd had about enough of it.

"Because if you can choose her over me, then she would be stupid not to choose you over her family," Alex said. Her voice sounded small, maybe a little lost.

Kara softened a little more. "Alex."

The agent waved her hand, dismissing it, and raked her fingers through her hair. "We have no proof of the Luthors' involvement in Cadmus, though it seems to be Lex's MO. I know you can be naïve, Kara, but you're sleeping with her for Rao's sake. You would have known if she was lying, right?"

"I'm not… we're not… I mean, we were, but we're… not," Kara stuttered. She and Alex hadn't spoken a lot about sex. Kara knew more as a child about reproductive biology and the different forms of pleasure and relationships than Alex now knew as an adult. Her mother was right, Earth really was primitive in so many ways. Still… it caught her off guard, and Alex cracked a little smile at the predictable flush and ramble of her little alien sister.

"You haven't been with anyone in six months, Kara, and she slept at your apartment. I've seen you shatter every dish in your apartment from the pent-up energy when you go two weeks without," Alex teased, and the energy shifted, and Kara felt better for it.

"Well, I mean… yes, I slept with her, but not like that… we just, ya know, slept in my bed," Kara elaborated. Alex seemed to have a point, but she hadn't gotten to it yet.

"After six months?"

"It hasn't been six months," Kara sniped. She picked up her fork and shoved sticky bun into her mouth.

"What?" Alex sat up a little. "Who? When?"

Kara chewed, taking her time, hoping Alex might have grown bored and changed the subject. The silence only made Alex swing her legs over the edge of the sofa and scoot forward on the cushion. Kara rolled her eyes. Everyone thought Kara Danvers was this sweet, innocent creature—naïve about sex and pleasure. They had no idea the types of urges the yellow sun evoked inside of her, some violent, some passionate. Some required more than one person. Some required someone she trusted, like Lena… only Lena, to stay up all night in the thralls of pleasure until Kara's hunger to worship her body was sated. Lena spent the following day lounging on the sofa in her penthouse, no makeup or real clothes or energy to do more than bask in the extended humming of endorphins in her body. She'd been naked when Kara returned from CatCo. that evening, her body still too stimulated for clothing, but it was the happy grin on her lipstick-less mouth that Kara was more interested in than her bare body covered in Kara's love marks. For all of her lascivious smirks and innuendoes, Lena was surprisingly submissive and gentle in the bedroom, shy. Kara happily took control when it was needed, when Lena couldn't ask for what she wanted.

Alex's hand came down on the counter beside her plate, and Kara jumped, snapping out of the memory. She tried and failed to wipe the stupid, goofy grin off her lips. She and Lena still had that connection. It was just buried beneath the rubble they'd left in their separation. Kara squeezed her thighs together and looked up at Alex's smirk and wide eyes.

"It must have been good," she said.

"I wasn't thinking about that… I was… It was Lena," Kara said, deciding to answer Alex's questions rather than explain the way she and Lena connected on a very different level during sex. "The night of the gala."

Alex almost spit coffee everywhere, swallowed it with enough force to make a grinding sound in her throat, and pointed at Kara. "I knew you were off that night. I knew something happened."

Kara reached for another sticky bun. She'd missed these conversations with Alex. The teasing and the lightheartedness, she knew it wouldn't last, but she wanted it, needed it. She took a breath, cut into the pastry. Alex watched her, waiting, feeling the energy of the room.

"What is it, Kara?" Alex asked, setting her coffee on the island. She put a hand on either side of the cup.

"I don't want my relationship with Lena to destroy ours," Kara answered and pushed sticky bun around the plate. "I… Alex, I love her. I'm in love with her, and I'm going to fix this mistake. You and I… we… our…" Kara let out a heavy sigh and looked at her sister's wide brown eyes, the ones that had been her lifeline for so many years. The ones that looked at Astra's back and decided to stick a sword there. Kara's gaze dropped to her plate with superhuman speed before she acted on a bad impulse and punched her sister's already cut and bruise jaw.

"Our relationship had problems before I ever met Lena, Alex. You blame her because she gave me the support and love I needed to face them," Kara explained, proud that her voice was calm and controlled. Anger had no place in this conversation, not yet, not when it lurked inside her chest like a beast pacing a fence looking for a week spot.

Alex's chest expanded beneath her black tank top, in and out, as she absorbed the reality of the statement. "Astra," she whispered around the squeezing of her throat.

"Yes, Astra, and all of the times you told me what to do instead of letting me make my own decisions and tearing me down for years when we were kids because you were jealous of me. It hurts, Alex, and you knew it would." Kara stood and picked up her purse from the counter near the stove where she'd left it. She couldn't have that conversation.

She looked at Alex twisting her hands in guilt and hurt. Kara almost apologized, almost begged Alex to forgive her. She'd done nothing wrong.

"It's why you kept me so close. I don't think you meant to hurt me, but somewhere along the way, you knew you couldn't stop without losing me." Kara shift the bag on her shoulder, looking down because looking at the tears in Alex's eyes was too painful. "And you knew I'd take it because I was afraid to lose the only reason I'd ever felt at home on this planet. You, Alex. You saved me, and I won't ever forget that, but you've hurt me, too."

"I know," Alex breathed. She pulled in a shaky breath through her nose, holding back the tears that wanted to fall. "We'll work on it, Kara. I… I will… work on it."

"Start by leaving Lena alone," Kara said. Alex nodded. "I have to go to work. I'll text you later and check in. I know you're going through something right now. Sanchez and Johnson were friends. I cared about them, too." Alex nodded again, still not quite able to meet Kara's gaze. "But, Alex… I have to deal with this. It's… it's affecting my work and Supergirl and…"

"I know, Kara." Alex raised her head. A tear fell from her left eye and tumbled down her cheek. One from the right followed. "I know. I'm okay. Aspirin is working and caffeine." She flipped the cup in front of her belly. "We don't have to figure it all out right now."

Kara bit her lip, inclined her head, and slipped out the door without looking back. If she looked back, she would have begged Alex for forgiveness. On her knees. With tears and everything. Her heart thumped with the mere thought of losing her human sister, of a rift too big to be healed between them. She didn't want to be alone again, to lose her world again. Kara kept her head down and walked briskly through the streets of the city she now called home, heading in the general direction of CatCo. She had to apologize to Snapper if he hadn't fired her already, that was all she could handle that morning. And, it had to be enough.


	12. Chapter 12

Here ye be, lovelies! Thank you for all of the amazing reviews! I'm happy that my writing makes you happy. Nothing better in the world.

I've thrown in a little nod to another amazing tv show that only had four seasons and ended a few years ago. First one to figure it out gets to request a one-shot!

Song: Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

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Kara groaned and snapped her laptop shut. She dropped her arms to her thighs and laid her cheek on the cool, sleek metal of the lid and looked at Annie who was grinning at her frustration but still tapping on her computer. Annie liked historical pieces and often co-authored current event pieces that were laced with her delicate detail of the past. Kara liked that, the preservation of things old and dusty, like Krypton and her parents. Without the preservation of her past, she'd have no idea how to live her present. Annie finished the thought she was typing and looked over at Kara, chuckling.

"I'm never going to get off Snapper's list," Kara lamented. "I'm going to write puff pieces until I get old and die."

"It will pass. You did throw an article at him and tell him in front of his entire team that his input wasn't needed." Annie laughed again, her buxom chest wobbling with the effort. A big gold necklace clinked with the metal buttons of her Annie's oversized shirt that hid a voluptuous figure beneath the frill and flow of her shirts. Kara liked the sight and sound of her, the softness of a larger woman beneath her.

Damn it, Danvers, get it together. Kara chewed on the inside of her lip, trying not to flirt with her fellow reporter, and squeezed her thighs together. She had no romantic attraction to the woman, though she liked her as a person. She was just building pressure, nowhere near satisfied after the stress and intimacy of the last few days. Even over text, Kara felt Lena like she was in the room. Alex wasn't wrong about her sexual urges. They needed checked, and often. Kara closed her eyes, blocking out the curly red hair and breasts that could have smothered her… that she would have happily surrendered to. She groaned again and tapped her forehead on the laptop.

Older women were gorgeous… so were younger women, and tall women… and women who laid their hands on her chest and looked up into her eyes, melting against Kara's muscular physique. Women like Lena. Ones who only wanted to use a strap on and tie her up, presenting her the new challenge of not breaking the bed or the bonding material. Ones who cried during and after, ones were silent and women who screamed her name until their throats were shredded and raw. She'd had so many types and men, too. Ones that liked to get rough and pushed her face first into a wall, not knowing she allowed them every dominance despite her slight figure. Men who liked her to take control and tie them up and ride them until she gave them permission to pop inside of her. Ones who spent what felt like hours with their heads between her legs, seeking the approval of the mothers who never loved them.

Of all the kinds of people she'd invited to her bed, she'd loved exactly one. Craved her touch above all others, ached for her reciprocated desire. One who trusted her enough to experience all the things she'd needed multiple partners to achieve—the softness and the roughness, making love and fucking hard and everything in between. Lena had ruined her.

"How's L?" Annie asked, and Kara jerked her head up, wondering if she'd said Lena's name aloud.

"Uhh, fine… it's… we're… I'm… seeing L on Friday," Kara managed. The rims of her ears burned, and Kara covered them with both hands, knowing that her flush was visible even that far from her heart. She had sex easily enough, she just couldn't talk about it.

Annie chuckled again and turned back to the computer screen. "Excited, are we?"

"Ponytail!" Snapper yelled from his office across the room. "Get in here!"

Kara rolled her eyes. Annie tried not to laugh at Snapper's ridiculous nickname for Kara. "Good luck," she whispered, and Kara smiled as she stood, squeezing her shoulder as she passed. She stopped in the doorway of Snapper's office, bracing for the yelling. It was Wednesday, and his ire and frustration with her little stunt that weekend hadn't subsided yet. Holding one hand over the other in front of her thighs, Kara looked at him with wide eyes but an otherwise blank expression.

"Lena Luthor," Snapper growled and glared at her.

"What about Ms. Luthor?" Kara's heart did a little flip, and she tried her best not to be excited. It was technically a conflict of interest for her to continue reporting about Lena, but no one needed to know that yet. Maybe. Did they?

"Her brother's appeal date is next month. It's been covered, but start an expose outlining Lena Luthor's actions since arriving in National City," Snapper said, turning his eyes back to the article in front of him about halfway through.

"Why me? Ms. Grant has been…"

"She won't talk to anyone else and that is one of the only reasons you still work here."

"What are the other reasons?" Kara asked. Snapper closed his eyes slowly, opened them even slower, containing his rage. "Okay, I'm going. I'll set up a meeting with Ms. Luthor and see if she agrees to the expose."

"Go see Cat. It's her project," Snapper called after her.

Kara took the stairs the two floors up to Cat's office. In the stairwell just outside the top floor, she stopped and pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Lena's number. Her heavy weight against the door ensured as much privacy as she'd get at CatCo. Lena's cell rang five times and Kara almost hung up, but Lena answered at the last minute.

"Hi, I'm here." Some shuffling in the background and the sound of a door closing. "Hello, darling," Lena purred, sounding much less frantic.

"Hey," Kara said, hoping Lena heard the smile in her voice.

"Hi," Lena repeated, her voice quivering with a little laugh. "Sorry, I was just coming out of a meeting and wanted to take your call in my office."

"That's alright. It's not a social call, unfortunately. Ms. Grant wants me to do another article," Kara explained. The line on the other end was silent save for the humming of something in the background that no one without her super hearing would have heard. "Lena?"

"What type of article?"

"An expose, actually. She wants you to tell your story about how you came to take over your family's company."

"Absolutely not," Lena snapped, not bothering to think about it.

"I figured you'd say that, but it's my job to ask," Kara said. "Would you consider doing something? Anything? I don't know, you pick the topic."

Lena hummed, and Kara heard the creak of leather when she leaned back in her chair. "I would consider something regarding the new products my company is developing. I can't release the details of ongoing projects, of course, but there are a few we're prepared to market. Why is Cat Grant obsessed with me?"

Kara laughed. "Ms. Grant is obsessed with anything that is a challenge. You should have seen her going after Supergirl when she first appeared in National City. Plus, no one really knows your origin story except that you're Lex's sister, and if they've done a Google search that you won a bunch of science awards before dropping off the radar… about the time you started your MBA."

"Miss Danvers, am I being stalked by CatCo Media's rising star?" Lena teased.

Kara grinned, she couldn't help it. "Stalking is a very serious accusation, Ms. Luthor."

"You can never be too careful in my position," Lena fired back, still with that faux defensiveness.

"I would call it a fangirl admiration."

Lena laughed, and Kara pictured her swiveling back and forth in her high-backed chair, looking over the city. "I'm not certain the two have different definitions."

"You're not wrong. I do fantasize about us in non-professional settings," Kara said. It sounded good. It sounded slick. Way to go, Danvers.

"Fantasies?" Lena chuckled. It was that deep reverberating, sexy sound that sent pulses between Kara's legs and a flush to her chest and cheeks. She physically face-palmed herself. She'd set herself up for this. "Do tell, Miss Danvers? Do these fantasies involve a bear-all scoop?"

"I… you…" Kara giggled. "They… Well, you know I… with the reporter joke. That's… that's good." Lena laughed on the other end, and Kara tapped the back of her head on the metal door, rolling her eyes at herself.

"It absolutely baffles me how someone can do the things you've done to me, yet make such a kerfuffle of mild flirting. Aren't words literally your profession?"

"I have no finesse," Kara said and scratched the back of her neck. Her belly fluttered with the feel-good endorphins pulsing through her body. She'd missed this. This, specifically. Hiding in the stairwell and flirting with Lena in the middle of the work day.

"None, darling," Lena agreed, smile noticeable in her voice.

"Anyway," Kara cleared her throat. "The expose. I want to be able to tell Ms. Grant something before I go see her."

"Ah yes, my origin story. I do like the sound of such a thing, like a superhero," Lena joked. They both knew there was no way Lena was going to delve that deeply into her personal life.

"Yeah, or whatever you want," Kara added. "Ms. Grant is just dying to get the scoop before you give it to someone else."

"How about you confirm the details Cat Grant had in mind and join me for a late lunch at Alfredo's? Two o'clock?" Lena still sounded flirtatious. The negotiations of her new contract must have been working out in her favor.

"Alfredo's? That place is… I can barely get Ms. Grant a reservation there a week out. How did you…?"

"I know the owner's daughter. One of those girls at boarding school who helped me learn to dance," Lena explained.

"Ahh, old girlfriend?" Kara wasn't jealous. She wasn't. Had she sounded jealous? Okay, maybe just a little.

"Not at all." If Lena noticed the change in inflection, she gave no indication. "She and her husband have just moved back to National City. She invited me to lunch with them this afternoon, and I accepted because I need to get out of the office before I throw my conference phone at the head of Research and Development. I should have hired a woman for the position. Or at the very least, someone who would have taken the time to look at my credentials. I'm a scientist as well as a CEO."

There it was—the crack in the armor. Kara sobered up a little from the drunken Lena-high. Lena reached out for support and comfort. Sure, it was a backward, round-about path they'd taken, but she'd reached out all the same. Kara nibbled the inside of her lip and listened for the deep sigh on the other end. It came quickly, belying the mental exhaustion of Lena's job and life.

"I'll be there," Kara heard herself saying before she completely thought it through. Technically, she'd be using her interview time to hang out with Lena and her high school friend. She really needed to talk to someone about their relationship soon, but she'd done worse in the past few months. Her moral compass slipped, and she had no idea how to correct it.

"Two o'clock," Lena repeated. "You'll have to leave your press credentials at the door, I'm afraid.

"I'll need to have something to bring back to Snapper and Ms. Grant," Kara reminded her of their precarious position.

"Of course," Lena said. "Hold on." Kara heard a knock on her door, some shuffling, and muffled voices. Lena probably had the phone pressed against her sternum. Kara could have eavesdropped if she'd pushed her super hearing, but she waited. She wasn't meant to hear the conversation.

"Miss Danvers?" She said after a minute. "I have to go."

"Okay." Kara smiled. "You've got this," she encouraged and added, "I'll see you later."

"Of course," Lena said, clipped like someone else was in the office. They probably were.

Lena ended the call, and Kara slipped the phone into her back pocket, releasing a giddy breath. With her hand on the door handle, she took another, more controlled breath, and tried to ease some of the flush she knew was in her face, the elevated thump of her heart. She went into the top floor of CatCo and reveled in the familiarity of it all. The sights and scents and sounds of this floor were so different from the ones on the news floor—much quieter, less greasy fried food lingering in the air, no frenzied movements.

Kara tapped on Ms. Grant's glass door and stepped into the office when Cat waved at her, still yelling at someone on the phone. Kara stood in front of her desk and grinned at the barely contained rage in her old boss's eyes.

"I don't care if The Pope declared it a national holiday. My son will participate in such an event when hell freezes over and you are served by my lawyer." Cat slammed the receiver hard enough to shift the phone, knocking a three-tier paper tray off of her desk. Kara moved to retrieve them for her, but Cat waved her hand. "Leave them. Talk to me about Lena Luthor."

"I have a meeting set up with her at two. She doesn't want to talk about her family history, but she's willing to talk about some products that she is getting ready to market and possibly some of her other charity acquisitions." Lena hadn't said that, but Kara threw it in for good measure. Lena liked talking about the ways she wanted to help the community, even if she hadn't actively sought attention for them.

Cat looked at her for the first time since entering the office. Sure, she'd seen her physically, but she hadn't _looked_ in that Cat-Grant-knows-all kind of way. The older blonde tilted her head ever so slightly to the right, eyes narrowing.

"Kara?" She knew that tone. The tone that said Cat knew something, but she wasn't sure what she knew. Kara twisted her hands, scratched her head, and laughed nervously.

"I had a lot of coffee. I ran up the stairs," she said, completely nonsensically since Cat hadn't said anything about her flushed face yet. Kara pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "I… I should… get back to work. Snapper wants that article about the mayor's daughter's softball team this afternoon, and if I'm meeting with Lena, uhhh, Ms. Luthor, I should…"

"Kara," Cat stood. "Sit down."

"Okay." Kara dropped onto the sofa and watched Cat round her desk with calculated steps.

"I know what's going on with you," Cat said.

"You do?"

"Yes." Cat dropped onto the sofa beside her, much too close as Cat often sat when she wanted to make Kara acutely uncomfortable and squeeze things out of her. Kara leaned back instinctually, grabbing at the arm of the sofa behind her.

"How many times do I have to tell you how incredible you are, Kara? Lena Luthor is your first source of any substance that even I have been unsuccessful in procuring, and you are running scared from her because you are afraid of falling instead of flying." Cat moved ever so closer, eyes wide and hard. "Why won't you fly, Kara?"

"Uhh, I… am afraid of heights?" Cat closed her eyes slowly, probably hiding the painful eyeroll she just gave Kara. When she opened them again, there was a softness in her light blue eyes.

"Well, it is time to climb that ladder and take that leap. The time of bumbling, submissive Kara Danvers has ended. I won't be dragging little scraps to you in my belly and feeding you from my own mouth any longer, Kara. Fly!" Cat came at her and Kara pressed into the corner of the sofa with Cat hovering almost on top of her. "…before I push you from the nest."

Kara's eyes were wide, and she tried hard not to laugh at Ms. Grant's analogy. Cat had used colorful examples before, mostly for shock value. This particular analogy was no less effective. Not even a smile tugged at Kara's mouth. Ms. Grant was not speaking to the revered superhero of National City. She was speaking to the meek young woman she perceived Kara to be. And they were in her office with the door open, in full view of everyone, in the middle of the workday. Cat was being Cat, nothing soft and squishy about work Cat.

"O.. Okay. I'm… I'm flying, Ms. Grant," she stuttered.

"Good," Cat said and stood, waving a hand over her head. She left Kara still leaned back against the sofa, startled and scared, and went back to her desk. "Bring Lena Luthor home, and I'll see about giving you a raise and make sure you never touch another puff piece in your career. You will have certainly earned it."

Kara shifted quickly to look at her boss's boss, a completely different type of startled. "Really?" It was kind of the opposite promise from pushing her out of the nest and feeding her from the previous minute. Ms. Grant had always been confusing like that.

Cat waggled her fingers, not looking up from whatever she marked angrily with a red pen. "Run along."

Kara shot up the from the couch, glancing over her shoulder as she bolted from the room. She nearly barreled James over as he came into the office. Cat gave her an incentive to keep her secret. Her gut told her it was the wrong choice. Kara had no idea what to do. She said something that sounded like an apology to James and kept her head down, fleeing the top floor. She needed to focus. She needed to write that article and get it to Snapper so she was free to spend the afternoon with Lena. She needed to tell someone that she was in love with her and there was no way she would have been able to maintain journalistic integrity regarding anything about Lena Luthor. She wanted the small promotion. She slumped into her chair, gave Annie a tiny smile, and shoved headphones into her ears.


	13. Chapter 13

Here ye be, Lovelies! Not a lot of commentary on the last chapter, not sure if I shocked you with the fluff or what happened there. Requested One-shot still up for grabs!

Song: Still Falling for You by Ellie Goulding

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Kara felt awful proud of herself. Not only had she managed to finish the article, but Snapper had only torn up the first paragraph a little. She took extra time with the edits, looking busy until the time came to leave for lunch with Lena. A knot coiled in her belly at the thought of compromising her position at CatCo. It eased with the thought of being there for Lena when she obviously needed her support. It tensed when she thought about the disappointment that would be in Cat's eyes when the truth came out and slapped her. She needed to choose. She could have this story or she could have Lena without guilt and professional strings, yet another crossroad. It really shouldn't have been a contest. She wanted the story, she needed Lena. But what if it fell apart again and she'd given up a crucial step in her career in the pursuit of a hopeless shot at love? Kara sighed, saved her article in the Cloud, and printed it for Snapper.

When she took it to his office, his eyes stayed focused on the article in front of him. She put hers in the deep paper tray for finished pieces that needed to go to layout and turned, stopped. "I'm heading out to meet Lena Luthor." He waved a dismissive hand, and Kara scooted before he yelled at her. She went back to her chair and collected her things into her bag.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Annie," she said.

"Good luck," the older woman said with a kind smile of encouragement.

Kara squeezed her shoulder and followed the hallways that she loved to the elevator. She had to pull up the directions to Alfredo's on her phone. She had plenty of time, so she walked, absorbing the city around her. Her three years as Cat's assistant and another year as Supergirl had been so fast. She ran and flew everywhere, wearing out shoes and terrifying birds. She lived hard, fast. Hit harder and faster. She'd fallen in love even faster than she punched. She experienced everything she'd ever wanted so quickly, such a short amount of time. She wondered if she had ever really stopped to enjoy it in her quest to prove herself—to Cat, to Alex and J'onn, to the world. She'd not actually needed to prove anything. She just needed to show up, be there in a crisis, show that she cared. The problems of National City were not hers alone to shoulder.

She watched a mother buy an ice cream for her son across the street from a little shop with an old-fashion walk up window. An elderly man spoke quietly to a tiny, furry dog on a bench. She nodded at him as she walked past, and he returned it. "Hi," Kara added, and the man smiled brightly at her. Her lips mimicked the expression and grew when two brothers made a run for it and jumped into a fountain in the plaza on the other side of the street. Their mother made a surprised sound, tried to get them out only to get splashed for her effort. She toed off her shoes, dropped her purse, and stepped into the water, firing back with both hands. Kara laughed out loud. She almost stopped but didn't. There was so much more to see. This was the city she protected, the city she loved, the city she'd not ever really slowed enough to see. She'd created Supergirl because of her need, not theirs.

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, and she stopped, finding herself in front of the fancy Italian restaurant, the most sought after food in National City. She closed the app and slipped the device into her shoulder bag, looking up at the large, opaque sign bearing the name that wasn't lit up yet. A car pulled into the drop off/pick up lane, and the back door opened. She knew it was Lena. Well, she felt it, but she wasn't sure. The CEO stepped out in no less than six inch heels and a black skirt that fell above her knee, tight blood-red blouse, hair pulled into a tight bun. A black blazer hung over her arm. It was her signature "I need a confidence boost" look.

Kara smiled and raised her hand in a little wave as the car drove off. Lena held her purse strap in the crook of her left elbow, saw her, smiled, but she made no move closer.

"You're never early," she said. Kara checked her watch. She'd arrived with nine minutes to spare. Lena finally moved towards her.

"I got my work done early," Kara responded with a little shrug.

"I'm glad." Lena reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind Kara's ear. She jerked her hand back and crossed her arms, glancing around anxiously. "Shall we?"

Kara nodded and followed Lena inside. The restaurant wasn't open yet, but there was a table set for four in the middle of the dining room, a great view over the river on the other side of the restaurant but still private from staff moving around the bar in preparation for their opening time at four o'clock. Kara had eaten in fine dining restaurants before, it was practically required as Cat Grant's assistant. She'd had no clue what she was doing the first time, but Cat had pulled her close as they waited in line to be seated and instructed her to watch everything she did before making a move. She soared through the dinner easily with Cat guiding her and picked up the rest as she went along over the next three years.

Still, Kara twisted her hands as Lena left her side and approached the woman behind the bar sliding glasses into an overhead rack. She wore a sleek black uniform and had her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun similar to Lena's. To her surprise, Lena said nothing for a moment, just watched the woman work. Kara shifted uncomfortably and looked at the floor, quashing the heat of jealousy in her belly. Lena didn't belong to her. This was new and… disconcerting. Twice in one day, this ugly feeling bubble inside of her. She hated it.

"Gabriella," Lena called softly. The woman turned around and smiled brightly. A slim red tie hung loose at her neck. She had pristine olive-toned skin and breasts that set perfectly in her bra beneath her shirt. She was gorgeous.

"Lena," the woman said and stepped up to the counter. She smiled at Lena for a moment and then walked to the far end of the bar. Lena waited for her to make the trip back on their side and opened her arms for a warm hug that the woman earnestly gave. She took either side of Lena's face when she pulled back and planted a kiss on both cheeks.

"It's been too long," Gabriella cooed. Her tone almost had an accent but not quite. Kara had no time to evaluate it because the woman turned to her, took two swift steps and greeted her just as familiarly.

"Oh," Kara squeaked and returned the hug with one hand. She was ready for the kisses, though, and accepted them not too awkwardly.

"Lena said she was bringing a guest. Are you her girlfriend?" Gabriella asked as she let go of Kara and Lena stepped beside the shifty reporter.

"Oh," Kara managed again and looked at Lena. Lena worried her lower lip and looked back, not quite sure how to answer the question either. "I'm, uhh… we… we're… I'm… her Kara."

Lena's smile brightened the dimly lit room. She held Kara's eyes for a moment, made a decision, and looked back at Gabriella who watched them with a curious, mildly amused expression. "She's my Kara," Lena confirmed and touched her shoulder. "Kara Danvers."

"Complicated is a step up for you, Rooster. Well done," the Italian woman joked and crossed her arms, shifting one hip to the side.

"Rooster?" Kara looked between the two women. Lena rolled her eyes.

"Has she told you nothing about me?" Gabriella threw her hands in the air and then slipped an arm through Kara's so fast even her reflexes were caught off guard. She guided her to the table and waved her other hand animatedly as she spoke. "We shared a room at our boarding school. She went to bed before the sun set and always woke me up in the morning before it rose, knocking things off the dresser or grunting with her silly push-ups and squats. She was my rooster."

Kara laughed and glanced at Lena who was shaking her head but grinning. Kara took the seat that Gabriella pulled out for her, and Lena took one to her right at the round table. Gabriella took their bags and set them on the bar before disappearing into the kitchen. Lena chuckled and shifted her chair a little closer to Kara.

"Gabby is a lot to absorb, but she's a really good person," Lena said as though Kara might have thought differently. "She was my only friend in that horrid place."

"I'm glad you had her. She looks really familiar." Kara managed before Gabriella's voice cut through the otherwise silent dining room.

She spoke Italian to someone in the kitchen and reappeared holding the hand of a man with curly black hair and the same olive-toned complexion who seemed as amused as she was. She dragged him to the table, and he nodded at the two women already seated. Lena stood up and hugged him.

"Hello, Anthony."

"Lena, great to see you again," he said, gave her a good squeeze, and then turned to Kara. She took his outstretched hand, happy he hadn't wanted to kiss her, too. She would have let him, but she was a little overwhelmed after such a meditative walk through the city.

"Kara Danvers," she said.

He smiled and nodded before releasing her hand and taking a seat beside her, boxing her in a protective barrier from Gabriella's exuberance. If she noticed, the Italian woman said nothing as she sat and took Lena's hand. Lena propped her chin on the other hand and gave her oldest friend her full attention as she babbled about her plans for the restaurant now that her parents had decided to hand it over to her and take a less demanding role. Someone wearing the same uniform as Gabriella arrived with water in a clear glass carafe, and Gabriella went quiet and sat back, allowing her staff to do their work. He placed a menu in front of each of them and playfully pushed Gabriella's head to the side as he passed. Kara almost jumped out of her chair, but the woman laughed and punched his hip.

"Her brother," Lena said next to her ear, startling Kara again.

She hadn't even seen or felt Lena move. The older woman covered Kara's hand and brushed her thumb across her knuckles, back and forth, a barely there motion that calmed her racing pulse. Lena turned back to her friend, propping her chin again, smiling and nodding and tracing the ridges of bone and cartilage beneath her skin.

"Once the staff is settled under the management shift, the first thing I will do is extend our hours. We're missing as many customers between the hours of 11 and 4 as we service in the evenings. With so many corporate headquarters, lunch meetings will fill this entire dining room." She waved both hands around the otherwise empty room. "Tony is interested in extending our services to include catering as well, but that won't be for another year or so."

Lena lifted her chin from her hand and propped it on the edge of the table. "Please let me know when you're ready, Anthony. I'm happy to let you experiment during L-Corp-sponsored events. The company currently handling my affairs is efficient and professional. Perhaps I can put you in touch with them for a few collaborations to test the waters? I'm sure a reputation such as Alfredo's will certainly be welcomed by their PR team."

"That would be wonderful. Thanks, Lena. I want to wait until Little Tony starts school first," Anthony said.

The server returned with a bottle of red wine that Kara hadn't heard anyone order. It wouldn't affect her, but she was still technically on the clock. Lena squeezed her hand and shook her head simultaneously.

"Kara and I are in the middle of our workday, unfortunately."

"Americans," Gabriella grumbled and filled her own glass and then her husband's, setting the bottle on the table. Lena grinned, not at all bothered, and Kara wondered if that was also a joke between them.

"I realize it probably isn't on the menu, but do you think your father would mind making that vegan risotto he used to make when I stayed at your house?" She looked between the siblings, a genuine spark of childlike glee and nostalgia in her eyes. Kara had never seen that there before and leaned forward slightly, memorizing every moment with her eyes and ears and body, trying to get as close the experience as possible.

"With the leeks and mushrooms," Gabriella added. "I already have them chopped. Please, the antipasta platter, I've prepared. Go." She shooed her brother away and turned back to Lena, sucking a breath.

"Wait, vegan risotto. That's where I've seen you. You had a cooking show," Kara blurted, and all eyes at the table turned to her.

"Yes," Gabriella said nodded. "My contract with the network ended a few months ago. I have been gone from a true kitchen for too long. Did you make any of my recipes?"

"I tried." Kara laughed. Lena slid her thumb over the back of her hand, encouraging her to say more. "My sister and I are both hopeless in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure we just ordered pizza and blocked the entire ordeal from our memories. I should definitely stick to writing and let the professionals handle my food."

"You're a writer?" Gabriella asked, pulling more from the newcomer. She knew how to control her effervescent energy when she wanted it to be contained. Kara liked that.

"I'm uh… I'm a reporter, actually," Kara said and fought the urge to fiddle with her glasses. She looked around and caught the shocked expressions from the married couple. "Oh, uh… I'm… my recorder is off for the moment," she joked, trying not to fidget. Lena squeezed her hand.

"A reporter." Gabriella leaned back in her chair and looked at Lena. Her hands seemed odd where they lay on the table, limp and still. "Complicated, indeed."

"Kara is an excellent writer," Lena said and looked at Kara with sympathetic eyes before turning back to her friend. "Cat Grant's protégé." The CEO beamed a little, and Kara's belly did a little flip at the pride showing there. Lena knew how hard she worked to get there, endearing Cat's incessant testing for three years before being turned over to Snapper's verbal abuse.

"Well, I wouldn't… I'm not… I wouldn't say I'm…"

"A privilege earned, not given," Gabriella cut off the babbling and leaned forward. "I interviewed with her several years ago before I moved to California to film my show. She is a woman not likely to give praise that is not deserved. What does she think of this?" Gabriella waved a hand between her and Lena.

"It hasn't… come up," Kara said, dropping her head a little to stare at their joined hands. "I haven't told her."

"To choose between lover and calling is a battle between heart and soul," Anthony said, patting his wife's arm. The tension in her postured eased ever so slightly, and Kara breathed again.

"I don't have to choose," Kara said. Lena squeezed her hand, holding the pressure there. Kara looked at her—soft smile and wide green eyes. "I would never betray Lena because she's a good person doing good things for this city, and telling the truth is what makes good reporters great."

"I'll drink to that," Anthony said and raised his glass, taking a sip though no one else followed his lead. Kara was grateful that he tried.

"You don't have to choose right now," Lena said. Kara saw the doubt, watched the stress seep back into her shoulders and rigid posture. She hadn't let go of her hand, though.

The interruption of food arriving was a welcomed distraction. Gabriella babbled about why she paired certain items on the antipasta platter and encouraged Lena to try her suggestions. Everything was topped with feta, and Kara understood Lena's obsession with it in a new way. It reminded her of the few happy memories she'd grabbed as a teenager, gave her something to hold throughout the last decade while the two of them had parted to discover their own paths. They ordered before Gabriella's brother left. Kara still hadn't caught his name and wanted to ask, but she remained silent in worry of making everything awkward again. Lena let go of her hand when a stacked creation required both to handle. Kara took the opportunity to make her own combinations, guided by Anthony.

"You mentioned you had a sister." He engaged her, and she was grateful to him all over again.

"Alex, she's a year older than me," Kara said, distracting herself from the laughter across the table.

"Are you close?"

"Very," Kara said with a convincingly bright smile. She spared Anthony the full truth of how complicated that relationship also was at the moment.

Kara startled when something brushed the top of her thigh. A moment later, Lena's hand took shape and glided to the hemline of her dress, meeting several inches of bare skin just above her knee, and gave her leg a little squeeze. Kara raised her eyes to Lena's face, but the CEO seemed utterly engrossed in whatever story Gabriella spun for her. Her green eyes shimmered with genuine joy, a slight smirk on her lips at her friend's antics. She squeezed Kara's leg again, telling her silently that she was there with her and for her and paying attention to her despite her gaze focused elsewhere. Kara nibbled her lip and turned back to Anthony.

"Are you also a chef?" She asked.

"I manage in the kitchen. Gabby is the real talent. I prefer to be behind the books. It allows her to adhere to the difficult demands of being a chef while I have a steady schedule to care for our son." He smiled more to himself than Kara and assembled another snack with salami and feta and a Kalamata olive on top. She took it with a nod and bit into it, moaning at the burst of flavor so perfectly blended.

The giggling across the table halted, and Kara looked up to see Gabriella studying her with raised eyebrows. Kara chewed and swallowed quickly.

"I'd ask you to give me your recipe, but I would probably mess it up without ever touching the stove," Kara joked.

It must have been the right thing to say because the woman hinted at a smile and then turned back to Lena. Rao, Lena must have always felt like this in the presence of Alex, constantly seeking approval for no other reason than the fact the woman she loved also loved this other person. Kara wiped her fingers on the cloth napkin and slipped her hand beneath the table, laying it flat atop Lena's. A moment later, Lena spread her fingers, drawing Kara's beneath her own. Lena wanted her there, wanted to share this moment and these people with her. It was another gesture of trust, and Kara focused on that instead of the uncomfortable crawling beneath her skin at the thought of possibly being disliked.

When their food came out, Lena's hand lifted, and Kara allowed it to disappear. She felt it again once Lena had settled and began eating with the other hand. Her thumb massaged a slow circle just above her knee on the outside, almost like Lena wasn't conscious of it. Ribbons of adrenaline shot up from the spot after a minute or two, and Kara shifted a little in her chair and tried to focus on her pasta. Her skin had ached for Lena's touch for days, and her body responded no matter what her mind tried to tell it. The movement ceased until she settled into a spot on her seat. When blunt nails tickled the inside of her thigh, Kara gasped and dropped her fork, bringing the conversation to a grinding halt when metal clattered against porcelain.

"Sorry, I… sorry," she murmured and picked up the utensil. Heat crept up her neck, and she drank water, knowing it was going to do nothing but hoped for some relief anyway. Lena smirked, bit her lower lip to hide it. Kara's mouth dropped open. She knew exactly what she was doing. Kara bit her jaw until she put food into her mouth to hide her reactionary expression to Lena's distraction antics.

She survived. They ate. The conversation between the two friends eventually opened up to the other two at the table, and Kara managed not to look like a babbling buffoon. More staff filled the dining room, setting tables as the house manager indicated what numbers they needed to fit the first round of reservations. Before she knew it, two hours had passed. Her phone was in her bag in an unknown location, so she had no idea if Cat or Snapper had begun worrying. And then it was over and Gabby was kissing her face again as if nothing negative had transpired between them. She hadn't need the added effect of a lingering grudge. She'd gotten her silent threat across the first time, and Kara knew if she hurt Lena, she would have a pissed off Italian to contend with for an undetermined amount of time. Anthony kissed her cheeks as Lena went towards the kitchen, presumably to say hello and goodbye to Gabriella's father.

"Everything was amazing, Gabriella. Thank you for letting me tag along," Kara said.

"For Lena Luthor, it is a small favor to ask. I owe her as much gratitude and loyalty as she thinks she owes me," the other woman said with that serious stillness that freaked Kara out. She said nothing else on the subject, but Kara knew that whatever Lena had done, she had a friend for life in Gabriella.

Kara stood in awkward silence until Lena returned with their bags, holding them both while she said one more goodbye. Lena took her elbow and led them outside as the first guests of the evening began arriving. They slipped by seemingly unnoticed, and Kara gulped the cool air as soon as it hit her face. Lena ducked her head and pointed them down the street, moving further from the business district. Kara followed without a fuss until Lena slowed her step near a black Sudan. A driver stepped out and opened the door for her, and Lena pushed her inside the car, gave instructions to stop at CatCo first, and slipped in beside her. There was a tinted glass partition between the front and back seats, and Kara finally relaxed now that they were relatively alone.

"You seriously cannot put your hand on my leg under the table in public ever again." She pressed her thighs together hard enough to feel an ache in the muscles.

"Why's that, darling?" Lena asked, but her playful tone and lascivious smirk said she already knew the answer.

"Because the urge to do naughty things to you in public is way too strong," Kara blurted before she overthought the first thing that came into her mind. Lena's eyes shot open, narrowed a second later, but Kara felt a giddy sort of triumph in her chest. She'd managed to shock the queen of tease and flirtation. Good.

Rather than retort, Lena shifted in her seat until she was facing Kara. Cupping her cheek, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of Kara's mouth. Kara's eyes fluttered. Her lungs deflated in a slow, comforting breath. She turned her mouth to meet Lena's, hand on the other woman's waist. Their kiss lingered with gentle pressings of their lips. Kara tipped her chin at the right moment, capturing Lena's upper lip between her own, and flicked her tongue. Lena pressed tighter against her. The softness of her breasts formed to the shape of Kara's arm. Heat rippled in her belly, her chest, sending the cleansing flicker of fire over her skin. Kara pulled back enough to bump her forehead to Lena's and slip a hand around her neck.

"This isn't helping my current condition," she whispered.

"I'll do whatever article you want me to, Kara," Lena responded to the confession.

Kara nipped her lower lip, flicked her tongue against the inside of Lena's upper. Their breaths mingled, sharing heated oxygen. Kara's fingertips cut a path over Lena's shoulder, down her arm. She felt little bumps rise beneath her touch and followed the length of Lena's bare skin in the opposite direction, traced the contours of Lena's ribs and the dip of her waist. She paused at Lena's hip and wrapped her hand around curved bone and flesh, leaving it there where hardness and softness met.

"I don't care about the expose," Kara said, not even bothering to open her eyes. Lena stiffened, pulled away.

"You will not compromise your career for me, Kara Danvers."

The slight rocking of the car ceased, still they stared at each other, disbelief for very different reasons. Kara broke the gaze first and sat up, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees still pressed together to ease the ache between her legs. She scratched her forehead and spared a glance at Lena's incredulous expression.

"I don't know what you want, Lena," Kara admitted her defeat. Lena Luthor had changed everything, and now she refused to accept the changes.

"I'm not certain I know what I want." Lena sat up and straightened her shirt, ran her hands down her skirt.

Kara clenched her jaw against the tears stinging her eyes and looked at the window and up at the CatCo sign lit against the side of the building.

"Tell them we couldn't agree to terms of topic, but I've agreed to meet with you next week after I've had some time to think it over," Lena said.

Kara nodded and grabbed the straps of her bag. "Okay." She opened the door and stepped out of the car. Lena made no move to stop her, so she shut the door and wandered in the general direction of the main entrance.


	14. Chapter 14

Here ye be, my loves. Also, I love Alex. She is my favorite character of so many great ones to choose from on the show. Hope you enjoy!

Song: Stand By you by Rachel Platten

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Kara walked out of CatCo swinging her bag from one hand to the other. Neither of her bosses had been pleased with her results, but they'd accepted them. Kara almost hung around after Snapper stomped out of the room, but if she had stayed, she would have told Cat the truth. She looked in the direction of her apartment and walked the other way, pulling out her cell phone. She'd forgotten how good walking everywhere felt. She'd done it nearly every day when she first arrived in National City for college. She had no messages on her phone but opened it anyway and opened the app to her favorite pizza place and clicked on the first saved order in the cue. She wasn't picky about what it was. Kara slipped the phone into her back pocket and ducked into a convenience store to grab a six-pack of Alex's favorite beer. She wasn't sure her sister needed any more alcohol this week, but it was their habit. Alex was her habit when she felt lost, and she gave into it that night. She wanted to check on her anyway, so it was a double-sided coin. She picked up the pizza a block away from Alex's building and took the stairs to the third floor.

Fumbling with the pizza and beer in one hand, she sorted through her keys and unlocked Alex's door with the other, swinging it wide and stepping inside. She'd seen lots of things in her life, lots. Some had shocked her, some had disgusted her, some had given her warm fuzzy feelings. But of all the things she'd seen in her life, Kara had never been as gob smacked as that moment. Her sister was shirtless, moaning, and grinding into the lap she straddled—the lap of Detective Maggie Sawyer… or at least she thought it was Maggie. The dark hair obscured the face attached to the lips attached to her sister's chest, but the hand grasping her sister's ass certainly looked like Maggie's. It was only a moment, less than a second before the two parted, and Kara exclaimed a startled, "OH."

"You... but... why...how... You never said... what?" Kara babbled. Alex slipped off Maggie's lap and reached for her shirt on the floor, covering her chest but not putting it on. Kara looked between the two, eyes moving from Maggie's cocky smirk and her sister's flushed cheeks, and the door was still open and the pizza and beer were still in her hand and Kara was dumbfounded.

"I brought pizza and beer," she said. What else was there to say? She put the food on the island and tried her best to keep her eyes off the other two women, for their privacy. "I should..." Kara pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "I should go and uh... let you finish."

"Nah, it's alright." Maggie got up off the sofa and fixed the tuck of her shirt. "You two should talk." She leaned down and kissed Alex who tipped her head up to return it without a moment of hesitation. "Text me later, Babe?" Alex nodded, and Maggie sauntered towards Kara with a smirk on her lips and mischief in her eyes. She and Maggie weren't really friends, but they weren't… not friends.

The cop pulled the door shut behind her and left the sisters alone. Kara chewed her lower lip, brow crinkling. Alex cleared her throat and hugged her shirt to her chest.

"How long has that been going on?" Kara asked once the shock dissipated a little. She couldn't help the little teasing grin forming on her mouth. Alex pulled on her shirt and leaned back, running a hand through her hair. "Alex."

"We, uh... It was... um... you know, does it really matter?" Alex laughed, a high-pitched anxious thing of a sound, and Kara's eyebrows shot upward.

"Alex." Kara opened a beer and brought a box of pizza to the sofa and set them both on the coffee table as she tucked a leg beneath her and faced Alex.

"It uh... we first slept together after... after... Astra." Alex glanced up at Kara, gauging her reaction to her aunt's name. Kara's jaws clenched, and she looked down at her hands. "I wasn't expecting… it… I mean, I'd been with women before, and we were drunk and… then… it sort of… became a habit."

"It's been over a year! How have you hidden your longest relationship from me for over a year?" Alex flinched, but Kara's following laughter eased the tension from the moment. She snorted and rolled her eyes, turning towards Kara. She leaned forward and snagged the beer from the table and rested her head in her palm before taking a drink.

"It's not really a relationship. I mean, we're friends, but… well…"

"That sounds like something." Kara pushed Alex's shoulder, nearly spilling the beer when Alex went for another drink. "Talk to me. I didn't even know you slept with women."

Alex sighed and picked at the label. She looked ready to burst, and the energy infected Kara. They had so much more to talk about, but if Alex wanted to share this happy moment with her, then Kara wanted to be open enough to experience it fully.

"You taught me that it isn't always about the body, Kara. I probably would have never even thought about it if I didn't learn how to be open to the experience by watching you," Alex said. A chuckle stuttered over her lips. She tore a large hunk of wet paper from the bottle and rolled it between her fingers. Kara absorbed the new information, tucking it in that place in her heart where she kept moments she never wanted to forget. All these years, she'd assumed Alex had questioned her sexuality in judgment, not because she was trying to learn how to expand her mind by listening to Kara's experiences.

"And Maggie? Sounds like she might be different," Kara encouraged Alex to keep talking.

"It wasn't serious," Alex started, looked up from the bottle. Kara nodded and offered an encouraging smile. "Not for a long time, not until recently... not until... until this," Alex waved a hand at her face meaning her almost getting killed in the attack Saturday night. Alex looked positively giddy but bit it back a little, stealing glances at Kara.

"But you've been sleeping with her for over a year." Kara leaned forward for a slice of pizza, leaving the box open, and looked back at Alex with wide, serious eyes. "Should we be sitting on the couch? Has it been cleaned lately?"

A pillow womped against the side of her head just as she opened her mouth to take a bite of pizza, and Alex giggled at her shocked expression.

Kara made a sound at the back of her throat. "Rude."

"Jerk," Alex murmured in a half-hearted response, too caught up in her own thoughts to engage fully in the back and forth.

Kara smiled and shoved the whole slice into her mouth, chewing and swallowing while Alex sipped her beer and nervously clawed at the label waiting for Kara to say something else. When nothing came, Alex raised her eyes again.

"Maggie hasn't been my only lover in the past year, but she's… been the one I've come back to when I'm… when I'm lonely or when I… need something beyond…" She waved her hand. "Beyond physical release."

Kara nodded. She got that. Golly, did she ever. "You fell in love with her." Alex grinned, more to herself than Kara, and nodded.

"She told me she loved me tonight, and I promised her that I'd tell you the truth, so... here we are." Alex shrugged and finished the bottle.

"That's... one way of telling me I guess..."

Alex rolled her eyes and set the empty bottle on the table and took up two slices of pizza, handing one to Kara as she leaned back.

"Not how I wanted to tell you, that's for sure," Alex laughed and bit into her pizza. A smear of grease shined on her chin, and Alex wiped it with the back of her hand. Pigging out with Alex was one of the best things in the world. It melted the world and her stress and their problems into a gelatinous form as pliable as the cheese sliding off the crust. Alex caught it with her mouth and took another huge bite.

"Good thing I didn't fly in the window."

"Maggie knows," Alex said with her mouth full.

"You told Maggie?"

Alex made a sound in the back of her throat, nearly choked, and chewed fast, swallowing greasy food. "Really? You have an entire group that calls themselves the Superfriends."

"That's different," Kara snapped. Heat flared in her cheeks, and she knew Alex saw it because the dark-haired woman sat up a little straighter, chose her words a little more cautiously.

"I didn't tell her, she already knew. She says the glasses are not convincing and you should have changed your hair color as Supergirl." The truth and joke eased the tension again.

"Well, what does Maggie know?" Kara shoved more pizza into her mouth, and Alex chuckled.

They ate in silence for a second, going back for another slice each before Kara collected herself enough to speak again.

"I'm inviting Lena to our next game night."

"I'm not inviting Maggie. She would hurt Winn for saying something stupid and probably eat James' face because she didn't like it. She'd get along with Lucy, though. I'm glad she decided to stick around National City."

"Are you okay with Lena being there?" Kara asked. She wasn't really asking for permission, but she also wanted to avoid a fight if at all possible.

"I... Kara, it's your decision. You said I didn't have to approve, I just needed to be here. I'm here." The agent cradled a half-piece of pizza in her lap and picked at the crust with her thumbnail.

"I wish you hadn't told me that Maggie knows."

Alex wrinkled her nose and tossed her pizza back into the box, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Why?"

"It's my secret, Alex. I know a lot of people know who I am, but I've only ever actually told Winn. J'onn and James already knew. I told Lucy to get her to help save your life. It doesn't matter that Maggie already knew, it should be my choice to reveal myself when I'm ready, on my terms." That sounded good. Firm. A clear boundary, something she'd never imagined needing in their relationship. Were they that close once or had it always been a little controlling on Alex's end?

Alex ran her hands through her hair, dropped them to her lap. She looked at Kara long and hard enough that Kara squirmed a little. What the hell was she looking at? Alex reached over and squeezed her knee, still staring at her in that weird way.

"I'm sorry, Kara. You're right. It should be your choice," she said, leaving her hand against Kara's warm skin.

Kara opened her mouth and sucked a breath to deliver the retort already prepared to be fired. She clicked her teeth shut. Alex passed up on reveling in her shock and stood, taking her empty beer bottle to the kitchen. Kara adjusted her glasses and smiled gratefully at her sister's back, slumping into the couch. She tore off a hunk of food with her teeth and chewed, watching Alex move around the space. She put the remaining beer in the fridge and opened the cabinet for glasses. Alex wasn't deflecting or stalling for the inevitable fight Kara's correction of her behavior would have instigated in previous situations. She made an effort to modify her behavior and see Kara as Kara wished to be seen.

"So, what brings you by tonight? Everything okay?" Alex asked, opening the refrigerator again.

"I wanted to check on you. And, tell you that I won't be making sister night on Friday. Lena is making me dinner at her place," Kara answered, still watching her sister move around the kitchen.

Alex shrugged as she stood up with a pitcher of filtered water. "The funerals are on Friday afternoon. I'll ask Maggie to come over."

"Supergirl will be there," Kara promised.

Silence lingered. There was too much emotion in the topic to go deeper without making it a big thing. For all their satellites and gadgets and intelligence, the DEO was still no closer to figuring out who was heading Cadmus or the goal of the organization. The stress of the unknown and the vigilance of waiting for the next attack took a toll on all of them. Alex poured two glasses of water.

"Lena cooks?" Alex sounded surprised. She returned the pitcher to the fridge and took up the glasses from the island. Kara looked for any hint of irritation or insincerity.

"Lena's an amazing cook, and she actually makes enough for me to have seconds or thirds."

"Or fourths," Alex teased and handed Kara a glass. When Kara took it, Alex curled one leg beneath her and sat as close to Kara as possible without pressing up against her.

"How's your, uh... other thing?" Alex looked awkward and took a sip of water and stood again, taking the empty pizza box to the island.

"My thing?" Kara watched her bring the second box of pizza back to the small table and open it.

"Your sex drive, Kara. Your powers go haywire if you're too frustrated," she elaborated, sounding more clinical than anything else. She sat again.

"Oh, uh… it's... I'm handling it." Kara flushed. She could spank a guy calling her mommy, but she couldn't vaguely discuss the topic with her adult scientist sister.

"Still no sex, huh?" Alex put her water on a coaster and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in my sex life?"

"Because you've finally started talking to me about it?" Alex tugged the blanket around her shoulders and settled into the sofa. She looked exhausted, and the cut on her cheek looked painful, but Alex had found some sort of center in the two days since they'd last seen each other. She needed to take a week off more often.

"Says the woman who kept a hot girlfriend secret for a year," Kara joked, not bearing the thought of bringing Alex more worry or stress with her precarious alien DNA.

"She's not my... Maggie is my girlfriend." Alex giggled a little, giddy all over again.

"You are such a dork."

"You are the queen of dorks, you should know."

"I learned from this weirdo I got placed with when I crash landed on Earth," Kara teased just a little more.

"Yeah, who did that? They could have at least placed you with a popular athlete or something." Alex moved a little closer, still rooting about for a comfortable position. She remembered Alex wincing when she raised her arm the other morning, so her shoulder must have started aching. The agent blinked slowly, face relaxing in preparation of sleep. She knew her sister's phases of winding down for the night. This phase lasted at least an hour or so, then another jolt of energy, and then a sudden passing out that always took Kara by surprise.

"Should I go so you can have Maggie come back?" Kara asked. She wasn't tired, and she was comfortable with Alex for the moment, and she really hadn't wanted to go back to her empty apartment after her afternoon with Lena, which had left her more confused. Alex was something to hold onto. She always had been.

"Later," Alex said and pushed up to grab the remote beside the pizza box. She tossed it onto Kara's lap and snagged two pieces of pizza, handing them both to Kara as she leaned back.

This time, she snuggled up to the warm body relaxed into the corner of the sofa and rested her head on Kara's chest just above the curve of her breast. Alex sighed, so the position must have brought some relief to whatever pain had her squirming around the couch. Kara stiffened at the new position, but Alex flipped through channels without saying anything. She'd not really ever comforted Alex, not like this, not… not in a way where Alex voluntarily surrendered control or asked for it. Even if she asked silently. Kara felt like her equal, not her pet. She liked that and settled down, laying an arm over Alex's back. With the other hand, she brought the two pieces of pizza of her mouth, one atop the other perfectly, and bit into both. They were okay, frayed but strong. She wasn't going to lose her sister by standing up for herself, by living her life. They just needed to keep trying.


	15. Chapter 15

Here ye be, my Loves! So… I'm not sure if I feel old or disappointed that no one has seen Sanctuary or remembered it well enough to know they reference a restaurant named Alfredo's like every other episode. Do yourselves a favor, all four seasons are on youtube. I shall think of another reference for a one-shot contest, then. Until then, enjoy a nice long Supercorp exclusive chapter, my beautiful babies.

Song: Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute

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Kara tugged her dress straight as she stepped out of the Uber she'd ordered instead of flying to Lena's apartment. Her silver heels were too high and her hair was just perfect in a tight bun with curled tendrils falling around her face. She wore a royal blue backless dress with thin shoulder straps that did nothing more than put a slight pressure on her skin and crisscross over her shoulder blades, contrasting the paleness of her skin. She wasn't Supergirl in disguise—just Kara. Tonight, she was just Kara. She reached back inside, grabbed the bouquet of white and purple orchids and handed the guy a tip through the seats. He nodded and turned up the music as she shut the door. Safety lights outside Lena's building lined the rounded edge of the white cement where a corner should have been. She held her clutch purse to the security scanner on the door. It beeped in approval, and a woman in a suit and cap opened the door for her. She smiled back at Kara, recognizing her from the many nights she'd spent in Lena's apartment. The smile turned into a smirk. Kara's nose crinkled a little.

"Welcome back, Miss Danvers."

"I guess people who work in a place like this remember people who are nice to them, don't they?" Kara asked, genuinely curious.

The woman flicked her eyes to Kara's without moving her head from the stiff position of staring straight ahead. "I notice when the owner of the building starts smiling again."

"Oh… I didn't know she owned the building." Kara laughed a little. "I mean, I'm not surprised. Is she a good boss? I mean, I… I know she is at L-Corp, but I… Well, you're still here, so you… you must like it." Kara flushed and pushed her glasses higher, grinning at the woman.

"Everyone was a little nervous at first, because of who she is, but I don't see myself going anywhere soon." The woman grinned. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. We get paid for our discretion."

"We appreciate that. What's your name?" She tucked her clutch under an elbow and held out her hand.

"Katy Trevor." The woman looked at Kara's outstretched hand, shifted her weight a little and looked around for a threat unseen.

"Katy, I'm on my way to Lena Luthor's penthouse. I promise you will not get in trouble for shaking my hand," Kara said, and the woman relaxed and took her hand. "It's nice to formally meet you."

The woman nodded and stepped back into her stiff pose. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Danvers."

Kara went through the lobby, nodding and smiling to the few employees on staff that night. A janitor punched the elevator button for her. He returned her nod and bright smile. The person at the desk was on the phone, but she smiled at Kara and then bent her head to listen to the person on the other end. Everyone seemed to remember her, and she wondered exactly how different Lena had been the past few weeks. Kara texted Lena to let her know she was coming up as she had promised, swiped her security card, and pressed the button to the penthouse, but her goofy smile remained when the doors closed. Tucking the flowers under her elbow, she fingered her glasses, took them off, put them back on, removed them and folded the ear pieces. She slipped them into her clutch and held it against her belly.

The tiered, asymmetrical hem of her dress tickled her thighs with the gentle movements of the elevator. Her entire body was stimulated—she felt every piece of fabric, the changes of air pressure on her skin, the warmth of the building and the coolness of the night air, the smooth fabric of her dress brushing her bare nipples. The shawl that was meant for the dress was left on her bed, too much for her arms and back when it glided over them. It was a little chilly for a human to be comfortable in so little clothes, but Kara ignored her cardinal rule of blending in and abandoned the shawl.

The doors opened at the top floor and Kara stepped onto the open platform of Lena's home. The expanse of hardwood floor stretched in either direction for about 20 feet, and in front of the elevator also about 20 feet out, it dropped down three steps to a dining area on the left and on the right a sitting area facing the giant wall of windows that spanned the length of the apartment, the length of the building, with a balcony along the outside. Kara knew there were three spare rooms (a bedroom, an office, and workout room) and a bathroom and a sauna room beyond the large dining area. Also, the kitchen was to the left but tucked away behind a partition wall. On the right side of the space, Lena's bedroom was the only room. She'd told Kara once that she'd custom-designed the space, and now that she knew Lena owned the building, it made sense.

"Kara?" Lena called from the kitchen a moment before she stepped around the partition wall.

"Hi," Kara said. She fidgeted with her clutch for a few seconds before dropping her hands to her sides, letting Lena look at her. She used to have the confidence to carry such a dress, on Krypton as a science prodigy. She'd attended nearly every party her parents hosted or attended for the Science and Judicial Guilds and never once thought she hadn't belonged there with the rest of the near-royal population of Krypton. Kara was done hiding.

"Wow," Lena said, eyes falling down the length of Kara's body. Kara watched them climbed back to her face, seeing her without her glasses, noticing her without comment. "Hi." Lena shook her head a little, trying to get her head clear. "Wow," she said again and started the slow appreciation of her body all over again.

Kara held out the fragile orchids, and Lena took them, grinning. She hugged them to her chest that was covered by the plain black full-body apron Lena wore when she cooked.

"Do you want some wine, darling?" she asked and turned back towards the kitchen. Kara followed her around the partition wall. Lena's hands were idle on the counter, her back and shoulders expanding with the deep, controlled breath she released. Lena wore a purple dress with one shoulder that ran across her back to attach at the opposite hip, leaving Lena's sides exposed… from the back at least.

"I'd love some wine," Kara answered and stepped up behind Lena. She touched Lena's side, brushing her thumb over the bare flesh, and nuzzled behind Lena's ear. "You look beautiful."

"You've not seen me yet," Lena said. It came out somewhere between teasing and anxious. Kara had caught her off guard, again… good.

"You're always beautiful," Kara countered. She pressed a kiss just below Lena's hairline, and the CEO shivered.

"Have you been googling how to flirt?" Lena teased, finally finding her feet.

"Yes. I've expended my only weapon. I will have a good babble in no less than five minutes." Lena laughed out oud and pressed back ever so slightly. Kara took the physical cue and dropped her clutch on the island. She slipped her hands between the apron and the silkiness of Lena's dress.

"It is both endearing and awkward."

"Yes, this is my life. Kara Danvers: Rising Star of CatCo Media, incoherent stuttering in the presence of gorgeous women included free of charge."

They chuckled again and fell silent. Lena slipped one hand beneath the apron and held Kara's forearm, the other went over her head and wrapped around the back of Kara's neck. She hummed, relaxing further into the embrace.

"I landed Japan," Lena murmured.

"I am SO surprised," Kara exclaimed, and Lena tapped her arm and rolled her eyes. She may have feigned irritation, but Kara saw the softness of a smile along her jawline. She kissed her cheek, her bare shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." It was soft, not quite believing Kara's sincerity.

"I've missed you. I've missed hearing about your day and what you're working on. You get adorably excited when you have a new project on the go... "

"Adorably excited," Lena cut her off. "I'm fairly certain no one has ever referred to me in either of those terms, much less a combination of the two."

"Their loss, then." Kara nuzzled into her neck, hiding her face. She gave a moment of thought to her makeup and opted to stay as close to Lena as possible.

"About dinner," Lena started and Kara raised her head. "I didn't have time to cook, darling, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's fine. Do you want to go out?" Kara asked.

Lena shook her head and extricated herself from Kara's embrace to open the oven. "Anthony saved the night."

"I really like him. Gabriella, too," Kara added quickly. To be honest, the Italian woman sort of frightened her.

"You made quite an impression. Gabby has decided to withhold judgment until she gets to know you better, whatever that means." Lena pulled the two dishes from the oven and set them on the flat stovetop. One was a breadcrumb-crusted pasta with white creamy sauce and the other was a simple marinara sauce. Lena bent to the bottom rack and pulled out a tray of bread covered with foil and a third glass dish with breaded chicken breasts.

"It means that if I hurt you, she's coming for me. Being who you are, Lena, I'd be suspicious of a reporter hanging around you, too," Kara said with a shrug. She wasn't offended by the situation.

Lena smirked and set a hand on the island as she turned back to Kara. "You seem to forget I practically molested you in a chocolate shop."

"That was an accident. I wasn't watching where…" Lena's smirk broke into a smile that spread to its threshold. "You ran into me on purpose! Why am I just now hearing this?"

Lena laughed and put her hand on Kara's waist, drawing her closer but not quite trapping her in the embrace. Kara stuck out her lower lip, pouting, but her pale blue eyes shimmered with laughter. Lena tipped her mouth up, catching her pouty lower lip between hers. She nipped it and pulled back. Kara fought the grin trying to break free from the childish expression.

"I wanted to meet the woman with the sad eyes, but I'm as hopeless with small talk as you are with flirting," Lena confided. Biting her lower lip, her gaze dropped from Kara's eyes to her mouth nearly at her eye level.

"And was the woman with sad eyes everything you hoped for?" Kara asked. They both knew what she'd asked. Would Lena have done it over, knowing everything she knew then?

"She has been…"

"Yeah?" Kara leaned forward, willing Lena to continue with only her thoughts. "Been what?"

"The single largest pain in my ass since day one," Lena finished.

Kara deflated with laughter. Lena smiled, chuckling a bit, but she was too focused on Kara. Kara pulled both lips between her teeth, trying not to smile. It felt good to laugh with Lena, to see that twinkle of mischief in her green eyes. She was sure that she'd never see that again. Lena had given her a second chance.

"I have a second present," Kara said and reached for her clutch. She pulled out a little box and got down on one knee, holding it up to Lena. To her credit, Lena reacted much better than Kara imagined. She still giggled at the wide eyes and slack-jawed expression staring down at her.

"Kara, that's… what is that?"

"This," Kara opened the box.

Lena forehead scrunched up and she plucked the tiny square card from the box. "Wander Her Womb Hen?" Lena's head cocked to the side, and she stared at Kara who was letting the moment linger longer than necessary. Lena giggled, looked at the card, and shifted uncomfortably. "Darling, I'm a genius, but I'm going to need some help here. What is Mad Gab?"

"Your invitation," Kara said, still on her knee. "Will you be my game night partner?"

"Game night?"

"Game night with Winn and James and Lucy and Alex and sometimes Susan and J'o… Hank."

"Kara, you want me to… do any of them even know about me, us?" Lena asked. Kara stood and took Lena's hands, rubbing her thumbs over the backs, little circles that soothed the growing anxiety. The hint of tears shimmered in those Kryptonite green eyes, and Kara pushed hair behind Lena's ear, letting her hand linger, keeping Lena's chin tipped upwards. She never wanted Lena to hide, ever again.

"I'm proud of you, Lena. You know it's not going to be smooth, but this is… I don't want to live in the spotlight of the media, but that doesn't mean I want to keep you separate from the rest of my life. If you…" Kara chewed the inside of her lip for a moment. "If you… want to."

When Lena said nothing, Kara continued. "And I… I can tell them beforehand to give them some time to get used to it, but I don't know how many of them will actually come. And I don't really know how to tell them anyway, because I don't know what we are, so I don't really know what to say, and I… and I… I really… want you to come… I don't care if they leave. That's fine… then I won't have to listen Winn and James whining about how I didn't choose either of them, and it's just…" Kara took a breath and let out a frustrated growl. "They are so frustrating!"

"Kara."

"Seriously, you'd think that two men who claim to be as evolved as they are wouldn't feel the need to vie for my attention every time they got in the room together. And… and… and I've kissed both of them, and let me just say that there is nothing… I don't even know how they could…"

"Kara."

"Think that there was anything…"

The flow of words screeched to a halt. Lena grabbed her cheeks with both hands and pulled their mouths together. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena's back and waist, fingertips trailing over the bare flesh at either side. Lena's hands slid down her cheeks, either side of her throat. One slipped to the back of Kara's neck, and the other rested atop Kara's chest, fingers in the dip between her clavicle and shoulder. A hum vibrated between them a moment before Lena parted from her but stayed close enough to share oxygen with the taller woman.

"I'd be honored, Kara Danvers."

"Good." Kara pressed their lips together. "I also need to tell Cat and Snapper that I can't interview you anymore."

Lena bit her lower lip, which done nothing to hide her smirk. She turned to the open bottle of wine, sliding her hand down Kara's bare arm. "Darling, we're not sleeping together or have I missed something?"

"Maybe not yet..." Kara mumbled.

Lena poured some wine and faced Kara, resting one elbow on the island behind her. She sipped wine, looking at Kara over the glass. Kara's confidence wavered in the face of Lena's calm, collected posture. Rao, how was she so demure all the time? Kara heard the wild thumping of her heart, saw the flush of her cheeks. Lena was as turned on as she was, but no one without super hearing would have known that. It was a superpower, Kara was convinced.

"Presumptuous, aren't we?" Lena said and swirled wine around her glass. It clung to the glass, tinting it burgundy before sliding back into the pool.

"Optimistic," Kara corrected with a smirk of her own. She let Lena see her eyes roam her body, apron and all.

"Is that why you wore a dress with breakable straps?"

"Oh, umm, uh…" Kara reached for her glasses that weren't on her face, giggled out a rush of air, and went for her own glass of wine. "No, it… you… I… It's just... its... pretty?"

Lena flipped her hair over her shoulder and pushed off the island. "It is lovely, darling."

She put her glass down, slipped the apron over her head and tossed it on the island, and moved to the stove, picking up one of the plates she'd already set out for dinner. Kara released the breath she'd been holding and laughed nervously, following Lena to the stove to fix her own plate. She relaxed now that the overt flirting had run its course. Just when she thought she had the upper hand, Lena took charge. She loved it, but it made her anxious. Flirting was never her strong suit.

"I thought you were going to give me a bad line about it looking better on your floor," Kara said and shoveled a massive serving of creamy pasta onto her plate. Lena's fingers ghosted over her bare shoulder blades, and heat from Lena's body pulsed against her lower back as she put her mouth next to Kara's ear.

"I was imagining it pulled up to your waist, but the floor is good, too."

Kara whipped her head towards Lena, but the other woman had already moved away and snagged her wine glass from the island. She tossed a reckless smile over her shoulder before stepping down into the dining area. Kara finished her plate and followed, helpless to do anything else. Lena sat at the head of the table and Kara sat to her left, nearest the food. Lena went back to the kitchen and retrieved a vase from a cabinet above the stove, filling it with water from the tap. She slipped the orchids carefully into the thin neck and brought the arrangement to the table to serve as a centerpiece.

"Tell me about the articles you're researching," Lena said as she sat and cut into the juicy chicken. It wasn't lost on Kara that most of her conversations took place over food. The distraction was nice for everyone. Plus, if her mouth was filled with food, her foot wouldn't fit.

"I'm mostly just focused on your expose right now." Kara sighed. Lena set her fork down, propped her chin on her right hand, and touched Kara's arm with the other. "Annie asked me to go the archives at the library and City Hall to help her follow some obscure lead about possible alien sightings in the 1950's. She doesn't need help, but I kind of… snapped at Snapper last week and I've been stuck on puff pieces."

"Annie Guickan?" Kara nodded and shoved a big bite into her mouth so Lena would talk some. Eating with her left hand was a little awkward, but Lena was touching her and she wanted her to keep doing that. So, she left her right arm limp on the table beside her plate. Lena seemed lost in thought, maybe placing where she'd heard Annie's name before. Her fingers moved over Kara's arm, thumb pressing into the side of her wrist, holding her hand in one place as her fingers chose their path at random while Lena's thoughts cycled.

"I read her piece on the history of the railroad last week. I wasn't aware that National City had been such a hub for merchant and fossil fuel transportation," Lena said, coming back to herself.

"I didn't know that we still used that much fossil fuel to power the city," Kara added. "We have brought this planet to the brink of destruction and most of us don't even care. I feel bad for the mining communities in Appalachia who have been basically forced into slavery and dehumanized in order for the rest of the country to build atop their backs. It's… It's disgusting."

Lena hummed and set back in her chair. Her fingers never stopped the light massage of Kara's skin. Kara allowed the moment to linger, eating and watching Lena poke at her own plate without much hunger in her eyes.

"What?"

"Hmm?" Lena looked up at her.

"What's that look, Lena? What are you thinking?" Kara asked, lowering her fork to her plate.

Lena offered a little smile, eyes rolling towards the food still untouched beyond her playing with it. She dropped the fork and picked up her wine.

"Green energy is something to consider as my company moves forward," Lena answered and took a long pull of wine.

"Is that all?" Kara pushed just a little. She wasn't sure where this boundary was for them. Before, she would have nudged just a little harder until Lena shared it, but this wasn't before and the lines of trust were blurry.

"Would you dance with me, darling?" Lena asked as she stood and held out her hand.

Kara nodded and took it. Lena would share when she was ready to share. Lena twined their fingers together and led Kara into the sitting area where she picked up a remote from the coffee table and hit a button. Music filled the space from speakers hidden somewhere above them. Lena left the balcony door propped open so they could hear the music. Up that high, the stars were bright in the clear sky. Lena pulled her close and rested a hand on her shoulder, giving Kara the trust to lead without any of the awkwardness of the last time they'd danced. Lena laid her head on Kara's chest, and a deep breath tickled Kara's throat.

"I don't want you to compromise your career for me, Kara," she said. "This story would be a big step for you."

"I don't care about the story, Lena. I already told you that. I'll get there, but this… I mean, would you have even spoken to anyone at CatCo if I didn't work there?" Kara asked, and Lena raised her head to look into Kara's eyes.

Lena dropped her head a little, gaze falling between them. Her ribs expanded with air, slow and controlled under Kara's hand on her scapula. Lena shook her head and straightened her spine, meeting Kara's gaze with confidence and honesty.

"You already know the answer to that. I was hoping it would bring us back together… in some capacity," Lena admitted.

"Well, that worked." Kara grinned and twirled Lena out, letting the other woman control the return twirl that brought them back together.

When Lena settled against her, Kara continued, "I don't want to start my career this way. I appreciate the stories you've given me, my name is out there, but I don't want them to be handed to me as a favor. I need to do this on my own with complete, transparent journalistic integrity that can't be questioned down the road if our relationship ever becomes public."

Lena raised her head and looked at her. No telling expression moved her facial muscles, no unspoken words lurked behind those green eyes, no obvious bliss or turmoil. Lena simply looked. No, she wasn't looking. She was seeing. Lena saw her. Kara stopped swaying and tried to see Lena. A wave of something flickered to life behind Lena's soft gaze. Shame. She'd baited Kara, believing it was necessary to gain Kara's trust back, to get her attention.

"You're choosing me?" Lena whispered, and Kara's heart squeezed her chest, clawing from the inside trying to get to the other woman's, to wrap it up and keep it safe.

"I'm choosing me, Lena. That's not who I want to be. I guess that's not nearly as romantic, but it's honest at least. I want this, you… us, but I won't… compromise who I am to have it."

Lena brought first her left hand and then right to Kara's face. Kara's arms instinctively slipped around her waist and pulled her closer, melding their hips and breasts. Green eyes roamed her face, tracing the contours, memorizing her. She felt it, felt the image burn into Lena's mind, and she wanted to be there. She wanted to be the first thing she thought about when she woke up, the last face she imagined before she went to sleep. She wanted more, all… she wanted all of this radiant, powerful woman in her arms.

"Kiss me, Kara," Lena breathed.

Kara lowered her mouth to the one just beneath, fitting her lips over Lena's top, already moving. Her hands squeezed Lena's back, her sides. Fingertips trailing and teasing the bare flesh there, Kara caressed everything within her reach. Lena sighed into her mouth, and when Kara applied pressure against her hips, she stepped backwards until her knees hit the lounge chair. Kara pushed on her hips and followed Lena down, kneeling on the cold concrete without breaking their kiss. She nipped Lena's lip, nudge it with her tongue. Lena opened to her, moaning deep in her throat as Kara's tongue slid over hers. Heat pulsed in Kara's belly, little tendrils of adrenaline shooting up her arms and down through her legs.

"Kara," Lena pulled back enough to say. It was breathy and desperate, and Kara slipped her hands beneath the hem of her dress. Her lips dropped to Lena's chin, tripped down her throat when Lena's head tipped back. Her hands followed the length of Lena's legs and wrapped around her ass, tugging the seated woman's center into her rock-hard stomach.

"Kara," Lena gasped a high-pitched sound and scratched Kara's back unconsciously. She liked that Lena could be as rough as she wanted without fear of hurting her.

"Kara, darling," she said and pushed a little on Kara's shoulders. Kara jumped back, hands tangled and trapped beneath Lena's dress. Her fingers flexed and relaxed against the smooth, toned thighs beneath them. Both breathed hard, flushed and aching. Kara was confused. Had she hurt Lena? Pushed her fingers too hard into her skin?

Lena touched her face, brought her closer with a gentle pressure on the back of her neck. "It's alright, Kara. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm… on my period, darling."

"Oh." Kara dropped her gaze. The knot of anxiety in her belly eased. She hadn't hurt Lena. Wide blue eyes turned upward to meet the ones looking down at her. "I don't mind."

Lena's eyebrow jumped, and a little grin tugged at her lips. She laughed, startling the alien. Had Lena thought that was gross? Had she finally found a line Lena refused to cross? Kara tried to pull away. She needed her arms to hold over her chest and keep the ache inside of it. Tears burned her eyes. Lena pulled her closer and wrapped her arms around Kara's neck, pressing a sweet kiss there.

"You will never stop surprising me, Kara Danvers," she murmured and nuzzled Kara's ear. The alien relaxed into the embrace, letting loose a deep, wet breath on the verge of tears. Lena wasn't disgusted, just shocked.

"I don't know why people are so grossed out by that. It's just a bodily function."

Lena chuckled, vibrating her chest against Kara's. "One that I do not wish to have all over my bed, or sofa, or any other surface we may have used tonight."

"So, shower, then?" Kara teased. Lena swatted her shoulder blade and laughed.

"It's not something I've ever tried," Lena confided. "Though, as aroused as all the hormones make me, I imagine it would be enjoyable once I got over the sight of it." She sat back a little and looked at tension in Kara's face and body. "Do you need me to…?"

"No," Kara answered quickly. "No, I'm done with that. That's… that's not what I want."

Lena nodded and resumed her embrace with her cheek against Kara's shoulder. Kara managed to untangle her hands from Lena's dress and draped them around her back. This was good, too. Just this.

"Would this have been okay, otherwise?" Kara asked once their breathing has returned to normal. They weren't very good at being slow. "You… last weekend when you stayed over, you… pulled away, and I just… I don't want to do anything you're not ready for."

"I trust you with my body, Kara," Lena said. Kara waited for more, waited for an explanation. Lena wasn't going to give her more without prying. She understood well enough. They had great sex, better than great sex. It would have eclipsed many of the other things they needed to sort in their hearts and minds.

"I'm flying to Japan tomorrow," Lena said instead. Kara sat back and fumbled with the clenching of her chest. "I'll be there a few days, maybe a week." She pushed a curled tendril of hair behind Kara's ear, brushed a thumb along her cheekbone. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Kara nodded and stood, holding out her hands for Lena. "Sweatpants and Netflix?"

"You just want to get back to dinner," Lena teased and let Kara pull her to her feet.

"Well, I'm not eating anything else, so…" Lena chuckled and led them back inside the penthouse, closing the door behind them.

"All of your clothes are in a box in my closet. I'll reheat dinner."

Kara nodded and went through the lounge area to Lena's bedroom. It was a step up, a step forward… with adult conversation and everything. And if staying at Lena's or having Lena in her home every weekend became a normal part of her life again, Kara relished the chance to get that solidified as habit. Sex could wait. The release from loneliness was much more fulfilling. She changed quickly and let her hair down around her shoulders. She shook it out and watched in the mirror at Lena's vanity as it tumbled around her face. She should have worn her glasses. A soft tap on the door tore her eyes away from the reflection of some combination of Kara Danvers, Kara Zor-El, and Supergirl.

Lena pushed the door open. Her forehead furrowed in confusion and worry. Kara must have looked as conflicted as she felt. She wanted to tell Lena the truth. She wasn't sure what that meant for the DEO operating procedures. She needed to talk to someone who wasn't biased, Lucy maybe. She smiled and stepped back from the mirror.

"All yours," she said and stole a kiss on the way out.

One step at a time.


	16. Chapter 16

For you, my loves!

Wow! thanks for all the reviews and new follows. Enjoy!

Song: was some weird combination of Taylor Swift songs that made no sense to me when I edited. Ours, Fearless, Love Story were in there somewhere.

* * *

Kara swatted at the tickle on her nose and turned her head away from the offending sensation. The sun wasn't even up yet, she felt it in her muscles. A soft, familiar chuckle inspired her eyes to crack enough to see Lena's cheeky grin. Kara grumbled and rolled into the woman next to her, burrowing into her warm breasts. She hated that Lena had to keep them so caged up tight all the time. She liked the weight of them, the slight pulling of the skin from their heaviness, the way they shifted when she rolled in bed, the frantic motions of sex, the way they always smelled faintly of soap and sweat and Lena's perfume all combined.

Kara nuzzled between them, frustrated at the tank top doing its best to thwart what she wanted. She bent her wrist and hand around the one atop her cheek and sighed, giving it a little squeeze. Her brain caught up with her body, and blue eyes flew open. She jerked back and reclaimed her hand, mumbling an apology. Lena only smirked, head propped up on a hand. Her hair fell through her fingers and splayed over the pillow. It looked like it had already been brushed.

"What time is it?" Kara asked, rubbing a hand over her face.

"Not quite time for me to leave yet." Lena's hand slid over her belly, followed by Lena's body against her side. Kara groaned and dropped her hands from her face.

"Do you have to?" she whined.

Lena chuckled and bent forward, pressing a kiss to her belly over shirt. Warm fingers slipped under the hem, pushing the fabric up to her breasts. Lena dropped little kisses along the line of her abs, brushing the elastic of her jogging pants with her chin. Her mouth cut a path where skin met fabric. Kara shivered, exciting little bumps beneath Lena's lips. Her abs clenched and released, tugging at lower muscles that awoke with a burn. Kara sighed and touched the back of Lena's head.

"You're going to be late if you keep doing that," Kara warned.

Lena caught a piece of skin below her belly button between her teeth and tugged lightly. Kara's hips jumped, and Lena's mouth disappeared. The bed shifted, and Lena's weight settled onto her hips. Her hands went instinctively to the flexing thighs, holding Lena without controlling the movements. Lena hovered over her with a hand on either side of her head.

"Is this okay?" She asked, barely above a whisper.

Kara nodded. She loved waking up like this when her muscles still felt lazy from the hours without sunlight, weakened but not unempowered. She still had the capacity to break humans with one wrong movement, but it slowed her reaction time, gave her a little more control. Lena tasted like mint, and Kara knew for sure she'd already been up and moving around, letting Kara sleep as long as possible. Their kiss was lazy, avoiding touching flame to the oil-slicked passions throbbing in their bellies. Still, Lena's hips pressed down, rolling against hers unconsciously. Kara's fingertips slipped beneath the boy shorts, and she gave Lena's ass a squeeze. Kara knew they weren't going to have sex, she felt it. This wasn't about that. They used physical touch to express an intimacy both felt but neither could voice yet.

Lena's mouth pulled away, moving along her jaw, down her neck. Lena hummed into her ear, and Kara's entire body shook with little vibrations. They treaded a precarious cliff, and Lena was an expert at dancing along that edge.

"While I'm gone," Lena started. She nipped Kara's ear and smirked at the second shiver tearing through the body beneath her. "I'd like you to think about how this morning may have gone if I'd had more time."

"Lena," Kara whispered. A hand had moved up to tangle in Lena's hair, surprising the alien. She'd lost track of her body, caught up in the sensations. She needed to take care of her sexual urges soon before she hurt someone.

"Can you do that for me?" Lena asked.

"You want me to fantasize about you while I… when I…" Kara fumbled, and Lena chuckled.

"When you masturbate," Lena helped her out. Kara nodded, sobering a little.

"I mean, I did before when were… together, but it's… it's hard not to… think about you, and I didn't… I didn't want to presume that that was okay now, and I…"

Lena sat back and looked down at Kara, her expression cutting off the flow of babble. Kara nibbled the inside of her lip and held her breath.

"You wanted my consent to masturbate?" Lena asked, not quite sure how that made her feel.

"Not to… not to do it, but to… think about you… Consent is important," Kara mumbled.

"You have no idea how special you are, do you?" Lena grinned when Kara said nothing and looked up with wide blue eyes on the edge of panic. She leaned down and slipped her hands under Kara's neck, letting her weight rest on Kara's chest, and pressed a kiss below Kara's ear.

"I trust you with my body, Kara, even in your mind where I can't see it," Lena allayed her fears and anxiety. "You are the best person I know."

An alarm beeped on Lena's phone on the bedside table, and Lena released a deep, exhausted sigh against her neck. It was time to go. Lena sat up and slipped off her hips without comment. It was almost robotic, and Kara watched her move around the room with worried eyes. Lena really hadn't wanted to go to Japan. She dropped her shirt to the floor and moved to the dresser built into the wall beside the closet. Kara watched the muscles in her back ripple and flex with tension as she selected a bra.

"Lena, what's wrong?" Kara sat up, cross-legged under the blank bunched around her thighs. Lena sighed again, hooking her bra. She slipped the straps over her shoulders and turned to face Kara, half-naked and vulnerable and skittish.

"This is my first international meeting since the two attacks on L-Corp," Lena confided. She looked down at her hands, rubbed at something imaginary on her left palm with her right thumb. "Since the assassination attempts," she added. "I'm not certain if I should double my security to protect my employees or have my private jet scanned for incendiary devices."

"Hey." Kara scrambled to the bottom of the bed and slipped onto her feet. Lena crossed her arms but didn't pull away when Kara hugged her. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I never even thought… of course, you'd be worried about that."

Kara leaned her upper body back, leaving her hips pressed to Lena's She took Lena's face in both hands, forcing Lena to hold her gaze, ducking when her green eyes shifted downwards. Kara looked at her a moment.

"I promise, Lena. I promise that I am not going to let anything happen to you or your employees," Kara vowed with all the conviction of Supergirl and all the confidence of Kara Zor-El.

"What are you going to do, Kara? I mean, no offense, but…"

"I promise," Kara repeated, and she saw something inside of Lena's eyes believe her. She almost told her exactly how she intended to keep that promise. Kara Danvers couldn't, but Supergirl could. Lena nodded and wrapped her arms around Kara's back, accepting the comfort. Another step for them, another precious thread of trust Kara held next to her heart beside the memories of her parents. This felt as important.

After a few moments, Lena pulled away and wiped at her face as she turned back to the dresser. Kara left Lena to collect herself and went to the kitchen. She made coffee and toast. She ate and waited for Lena to appear, put two more slices into the toaster. When they popped, she spread vegan butter and raspberry preserves on each slice. Lena loved homemade things, and Kara read the handwritten labels on both items, learning that she'd bought them from some farm in Pennsylvania. When had Lena been in Pennsylvania recently? Lena stepped around the partition in a black pantsuit and teal shirt, blazer over one arm and suitcase handle in the other. It was small. Lena wasn't planning to stay longer than necessary.

"I have a friend who joined an Amish community," Lena said and laid her blazer across the island. Kara must have looked as curious as she felt about the preserves. "He met a woman who was hiking the Appalachian Trail for her Rumshpringa. He was avoiding his freshman year at Yale. Our families used to vacation during the summer in the same villa in Italy. We've kept in touch over the years, through letters. He says renouncing our society saved his life."

"And he sends you stuff?" Kara asked, pushing the plate of toast closer to Lena. She'd not eaten that much for dinner the previous night. Nerves about traveling, Kara figured.

"His community has been sending me care packages every month for nearly five years now. He told me in a letter that one of the kids had been playing in a barn and accidentally knocked over a lantern. By the time any of the adults discovered the fire, three of their horses had already died from smoke inhalation and the other two had sustained horrid burns. One broke its leg trying to escape. I bought them seven horses, three stallions and four mares of breeding age. They're entire way of life is dependent on their animals for farming and pulling logs to rebuild houses and buildings."

Kara smiled softly, but Lena wasn't looking at her. She picked up the toast and took small bite from a corner. The world would never know the kindness of Lena Luthor, only Lex's madness, but Lena never asked for the recognition. She simply lived her life the way she felt was right.

"You're a good person," Kara said. Lena gave her a shy smile and took another bite. Kara left it at that and made Lena a thermos of coffee, happy that the crunching of food continued behind her.

Kara left Lena to finish eating and went back to the bedroom to rummage through the box in Lena's closet for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She found no bra, though, and hadn't worn one with her dress. She smirked and pulled a plain, blue t-shirt over her head. Her boobs were small enough to get away with it without too much unwanted attention. She pulled out a pair of socks from Lena's dresser and snagged a pair of knee-high riding boots from the shoe rack on one side of the giant closet. They were about a half a size too small when she slipped into them, but it wasn't like her feet were going to get sore once the sun came out properly. Lena raised an eyebrow over the thermos when she went back to the kitchen, eyes on first the boots and then Kara's nipples straining against the shirt.

"Do you want a jacket?" Lena asked.

Kara looked down at her unruly chest and laughed. "Guess I should."

"Take whatever you'd like. My car is waiting," Lena said, falling back into her pre-travel funk. "I hate flying."

"You've got this, Lena. You can do anything," Kara reminded her with a grin and held out Lena's blazer. The other woman slipped into it and pulled her long hair from the collar, flipping it against Kara's face on accident. She turned and pushed her fingers into Kara's tangled blonde hair and touched their foreheads together. She wasn't going to tell Lena how much she'd miss her or how much her own gut churned with worry. She couldn't protect Lena in Japan, not without causing some serious international issues, not as Supergirl anyway.

"Text me," Lena said. "I'll call when I land. It should be around seven here. Tokyo is eight hours behind National City."

"Okay. Try and nap on the plane."

Lena laughed. "Not a chance."

Kara kissed her, kissed her again. Lena pulled in a breath and stepped away. Kara started cleaning the kitchen and listened to Lena leave. Kara grabbed a thin black jacket from Lena's closet. The fabric was almost sheer and stretchy, more form than function, but she hadn't really needed protection from the chilly pre-dawn air. She slipped the leftovers from their dinner into a canvas bag and tossed her clutch on top of the containers. In the elevator, she put her glasses back on before they opened on the bottom floor. The entire walk back to her apartment, Kara fought the urge to explode into the air. When she arrived, she put the food away, changed into her supersuit, and leapt out her window.

Kara arrived at the private tarmac as Lena's car pulled up to the runway. Lena squinted as she stepped out of the car. Supergirl scanned the jet with X-ray vision, hands on her hips in her iconic pose. She smiled at Lena once she'd finished. "No incendiary devices, Ms. Luthor. Have a safe flight." Lena nodded, and Kara exploded into the air, not risking getting any closer to Lena for fear of being recognized. She sped across the city and slipped into a familiar window. Winn was asleep on his sofa, television now playing infomercials instead of whatever he'd been watching when he nodded off.

"Winn," she called in a normal voice. No Response. "Winn!"

"What?" The man flipped, turning towards the voice. His body tumbled to the floor, scooting the coffee table a few inches. He scrambled up, nearly toppling over from the equilibrium imbalance of lethargic muscles. "What? I'm up. J'onn… Supergirl?" He puts his hands on his hips, standing there squinting at her in a pair of pastel pink boxers and black socks that stretched halfway up his calves. Kara laughed, covered her mouth, snickered around her hand.

"Is the city being invaded?"

Kara shook her head, still not trusting her mouth.

"Why… why… why are you in my living room at…" He squinted at his watch. "6:43 on a Saturday morning?"

"I want to help people," Kara said.

Winn scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Alright, something to punch coming right up," he muttered. None of the excitement at their adventures was evident in his face or voice. His shoulders slumped forward a little under the stress of it all. Kara took a step forward and touched his arm, keeping a good distance between them, and gave it a firm squeeze.

"No, I… I want to help people…" She smiled a little when he looked at her in confusion. "Like we did when we first started. Ya know, kittens in trees and stuff. I need to decide what kind of hero I want to be… who I want to be."

Winn's entire body shifted, filled with energy as noticeable as the smile growing on his mouth. "One Fluffy the snake coming right up," he joked.

"Good." Kara picked up a comm laying on a side table, their old equipment from before the DEO. "I also need your help with something else. Can you… set up an account for Supergirl on Twitter or Instagram or something, make it unhackable?"

"You mean route it through the DEO IP address and network so that it can't be traced?" Kara nodded. "Oh, you have no idea what magic these fingers will work for you." Winn wiggled his fingers in the air. Kara's forehead scrunched up, and he dropped his hands. "Okay, that sounded creepier than I was aiming for. I need coffee."

Kara held up a finger and disappeared in a blur. Winn pulled on pants and a shirt before Kara reappeared with coffee and donuts. She put them on the coffee table, grinning like a little puppy.

"Give me a shout when you've found something. I'm going to do a sweep of the city."

He nodded, and Kara leapt out the window again. Everything was pretty quiet this early on a Saturday morning. The sun hadn't quite charged her cells yet, so she wasn't at full strength, but she wouldn't need that, not today. She looked down at the streets of National City, seeing a few people jogging and others hustling children off to places unknown. Over the business district, she saw a man unloading crates onto a dolly in a back alley, a food delivery. She dropped down behind him.

"Need a hand?" she asked.

"Supergirl?" He was an older fellow with a kind smile. He had a thick accent Kara couldn't place. "Shouldn't you be off saving the day?"

"I am," Supergirl said and lifted the stack of boxes from the dolly, looking over the truck. "All of this go inside?" The man nodded and stepped over to the door of the restaurant, holding it open for her. The kitchen staff had a moment of shock, and Kara greeted each of them as they waited to shake her hand or give her a hug—an older woman, two younger women, and a teenage boy who all looked like each other.

"Would you mind if I got a picture?" Supergirl asked. "I'm starting a collection called People of National City." The family leaned in behind her as she raised her phone and took a selfie of them. "I'm going to start calling these us-ies instead of selfies." Kara tucked the phone back into her boot and grinned at the people waiting for her to say or do something else. She just went back to work unloading the food truck and waved before exploding into the air.

She cruised for a bit, shifting her hearing to listen for Lena's voice, her heartbeat. It thumped faster than usual. Her plane had just taken off. Kara stretched her focus in a different direction, listening for any unease at L-Corp. She'd promised Lena. Nothing was going to happen. Kara opened her eyes again and looked down at the park beneath her. A woman chased a fluffy white puppy through the grass, and Kara dropped down in front of the little creature, scooping him up in all of his wiggling, squirmy glory.

"Supergirl!" The woman exclaimed, breathless, and came to a stop a few feet in front of her. She gasped for air but reached for the puppy anyway. Kara handed the sweet creature over and scratched behind its ears. "Thank you. She slipped right out of the fence."

"Fence?"

"We're setting up an adoption station in the park this morning." The woman nodded over her shoulder, and Kara looked beyond her to the temporary fence, grin spreading.

"May I?" She reached for the puppy, and the woman handed her over to the hero.

Kara cuddled the beast to her chest and approached the operation, unhurried. The puppy bit her ear, and Kara laughed out loud when tongue replaced teeth. Supergirl flew up a few feet over the fence and dropped down in the middle of no less than 20 tiny pups scampering about, playing and socializing.

"Hey you guys!" She set the puppy down and twirled in a circle, taking it all in. She pulled out her phone and took it to the woman at the edge of the fence. "Will you take a picture of me with them? They're adorable."

The woman looked confused but took the phone. Kara went back to the center of the circle and dropped into a cross-legged seat on the ground. One puppy approached cautiously from the front. Another bit her hair from behind and tugged. Kara laughed, scooping up two in arm's reach. She set them in her lap, gave them a little cuddle. Two more tripped over to her and snapped playfully at her fingers and the pups in her lap. Kara squealed in joy and laid back, letting the puppies tromp over her legs and belly and chest. The one she'd caught running away nibbled at her ear, giving it a good tug. It couldn't hurt her, so Kara let it do what it wanted.

When she sat up, she felt twigs and grass tangle in her hair and a crowd of people had gathered to watch Supergirl romp around with a pen full of puppies. Kara had a goofy open-mouth smile plastered to her face that had no intention of budging any time soon. She went to the fence and lifted a couple of kids over the side. One tugged her hand, a little frightened of the furry critters, so Kara knelt beside the little boy and lifted a puppy on her leg.

"It's alright. Pet him softly, right behind the ears, like this." Kara gave the puppy a good scratch and smiled at the kid. "I have to be gentle with them, too." The kid reached out a tentative hand and patted the puppy's head. He giggled and looked up at Supergirl before burrowing into her chest, hiding his face, shy and too adorable for Kara to handle.

"Supergirl?" Winn's voice entered her mind. "I'm getting reports of you playing with puppies." Kara laughed in response. "Ready to get to work?"

"I have to go, everyone," Kara announced and received a collective groan in response. She went to the woman and got her phone. "I hope that helps you get some extra puppies adopted today. I'm sure you have plenty of photos to put on your website and social media." The woman nodded, and Kara blasted off into the air with twigs still sticking out of her hair.

"What do you have, Winn?" She asked.

"I'm getting reports of a kid at the river who floated too far downstream from his parents and is panicking."

"On it."

Kara turned her trajectory towards the river, easily spotting the frantic parents and the screaming child in the middle of the river on an innertube. What in the world were they doing on the river this late in the season? It was a warm morning for September, but the water was still chilly.

"Supergirl!"

Kara grinned and hovered above the boy no more than seven or eight. She reached out a hand, and he took it, star struck. She flew backwards, tugging the boy at a slow pace back to his parents. They rushed into the water and pulled him out of the tube when it touched bottom.

"Thank you, Supergirl!" Kara grinned and zipped back into the sky.

"What's next?" She asked.

"We have an accident on the bridge and an ambulance carrying a possible heart attack victim stuck behind it."

Kara already saw it from her spot near the water and raced over. She landed as the two paramedics stepped out of the ambulance. "Go help these people, and let the hospital know I'm coming with your passenger." The two nodded and followed her to the back. Kara lifted the back brace beneath the older woman carefully from the gurney and made sure not to jostle her precious cargo during the short flight to the hospital. People in scrubs met her outside the ambulance bay doors with another gurney, and Kara deposited the woman with ease.

"Thank you, Supergirl."

Kara nodded and zipped back towards the bridge. Most of the people had already been removed from the vehicles, but the carnage would have blocked the bridge for hours and emergency personnel had no way of getting through it. Supergirl blew out the flames and moved the cars to the side. A police officer got traffic flowing through the bridge again using that lane and another stopped traffic going into the city to let ambulances out to the accident scene. The whole thing was over in 20 minutes with the wreckage moved to the side of the road and victims on their way to getting treated. Kara gave the road a stiff breath, clearing shattered glass and broken plastic from the lanes. She nodded at the police officer and took off again.

"Well, done, Kara," Winn praised. It was genuine and sincere, and it gave Kara a warm feeling in her chest.

"I've missed this," she told him.

"Me too."

Kara soared for a moment, closing her eyes, letting the wind brush over her. She stretched her hearing for Lena's heartbeat. It was still thumping wildly. Lena hated flying. She had no control. A shrieking cut through Lena's heartbeat, and Kara honed in on it. It came from somewhere in the suburbs. A language not from Earth filtered into her head, Korgarian. She was screaming about a spider in her kitchen. Kara laughed and changed directions, following the string of swearing and exclamations. She tried the backdoor and found it unlocked.

"Ma'am?" she called and stepped inside. She found the woman in a corner in the kitchen with a can of cooking spray held out in front of her and a handkerchief over her mouth. "I know you're allergic to spiders. I'm here to help," Kara said in the Korgarian language.

The woman relaxed and pointed towards the stove. "It was just there, and now it's gone. I can't find it. My grandson is here with me, and children less than 50 are so susceptible to spider bites!"

"What the heck language is that?" Winn asked. "My decoder is going off the charts."

"Her native tongue," Kara said in English as she X-rayed the room. She found the wee beast and scooped it into her hand trying not to harm it. The woman watched her take it outside and come back in. She scanned the rest of the house while the woman waited. It was spotless. She definitely had regular fumigations for the creatures.

"All clear, ma'am." The woman hugged Kara in a smashing grip and spewed a long line of praise.

"Can I get a picture with you?" Kara took out her phone, and the woman pressed a kiss to her cheek as Kara held a thumbs up with one hand and snapped the photo with the other.

"If you ever need any help again, just call out for me." The woman nodded and went to the fridge. She pulled out a loaf of homemade banana bread and shoved it into Kara's hands. "Thank you."

Kara was out the door and up in the air, phone still in hand. It buzzed and lit up with Alex's name She answered it, hovering at the cloud line, looking over the city.

"You're busy this morning," Alex said with a chuckle. "Reports are lighting up all over the city."

"I'm enjoying myself." Kara grinned. She wanted to be a hero of the people, not a hero for the people. She wasn't just available when disaster struck, she was always there. That hadn't been something she'd reminded National City lately.

"Are you up for some alien hunting later? We got a lead on some possible convicts from Fort Rozz."

"If it looks like the DEO can't handle it, give me a call, but I'm busy right now," Kara answered as honestly as possible. She wouldn't ignore Alex's calls this time.

"Okay, be careful."

"You, too."

"She did not sound happy," Winn interrupted Kara's thoughts as she tucked her phone away.

"She'll get over it. I'm not the DEO's weapon, Winn. I'm grateful that Alex has spent her life protecting me, but I don't owe her anything for it… or at least I shouldn't."

"Hey, I get it. I spent most of my time in foster homes being told how grateful I should be to have a roof over my head and food in my belly." Winn got her. He usually had. She almost told him about Lena, but she wasn't ready to share her yet. Game night.

"If you're interested, I've got reports of a disturbance outside a shelter on 56 and Washington."

"On it."

Kara munched on the bread as she flew to the other side of the city. She'd already burned up the two pieces of toast she'd had at Lena's at least half an hour ago. What she saw made her stomach turn, though. A line nearly a block long waited outside a locked door, a few pounded on it and yelled. Most of them were dirty, in ripped clothes and mats in their hair, some had children clinging to their legs. A woman on the other side of the door yelled something back at the crowd.

"What's going on here?" Kara asked in her best Supergirl voice.

"We're hungry, hero. No one here needs punched," a man snapped at her and turned back to the door.

"I tried to tell them the ovens aren't working, Supergirl. The soup kitchen is closed," the woman on the inside called to her.

Kara touched the guy's shoulder when he took a breath to yell back. "I can help. Please… let me help." The guy stepped back and crossed his arms. He seemed to be a leader of some sort because everyone else stepped back and let her through. The woman opened the door and closed it the second she stepped inside, sliding the lock back in place.

"The ovens stopped working this morning halfway through prep. I can't serve half-cooked food. It would make everyone sick." She looked on the verge of tears, and Kara touched her shoulder, fighting back tears of her own. These were the people that went overlooked when she showed off and took on bigger challenges, bored of the everyday superhero deeds that had made her name.

"I can help. Go ahead and open the doors so the police can come in if they show up. It's okay. What's your name?"

"Makayla."

Kara nodded and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Tell me what you need me to do. You're in charge here."

Makayla pointed to the line of ovens and a few other people standing beside them. "They can tell you." Kara nodded and went to the first woman who looked to be frying some sort of frozen sausage patty on a large griddle.

"Let me know when you need it reheated," she said and loosed her heat vision on the griddle, cutting zigzags to get it all piping hot. The woman put down as many sausages as possible. They cooked fast, and Kara rotated between the three stations, heating each one until they had enough to fill the deep pans and took them over to the long plastic serving table at the front of the kitchen area. Makayla instructed her to hand out one piece of sausage at a time, and she handled the fried potatoes and scrambled eggs herself.

"Supergirl," someone called her away, and she went back to reheat the cooking stations before returning to the front.

"We've been asking the city for funds for new ovens for almost a year. I made them last as long as I could," Makayla said. It wasn't a complaint. It was frustration born in anger for lack of empathy for the vagrant population of National City, anger at the complacency of the privileged.

"I'll get your ovens replaced," Kara said and looked up at the man who had been the leader outside. "I promise."

"Promises don't mean a thing here, girl," he said and took his plate to a table. He was the last one through the line.

"Most of these people eat all three meals here. Working single mothers who can't feed their kids, war vets who are homeless and need mental health services they can't access, alien refuges, undocumented people who can't get government assistance because they're afraid of being deported to somewhere worse. You do good things, Supergirl, but you're not a hero here. Not to them, not to me. Thank you for helping us out this morning, but unless you want to come back every day until we can scrape together the money for new equipment, half of these people are going to starve to death."

"What time do you start every morning?"

"Six sharp."

"I'll be here, and I'll be back later to help with lunch and dinner," Kara said. "And I'll talk to the mayor about allocating funds for new equipment."

The woman crossed her arms and stared at Kara hard and long. "I'll hold you to that, Supergirl."

"Makayla," the woman turned back to her. "Do these people have anywhere to go? Any…"

"Girl, you don't spend a lot of time in this part of the city, do you?" Kara shook her head. Makayla tipped her chin towards the door. "That sidewalk is their home, an abandoned building if they're lucky enough to find a place to squat."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Kara said, barely holding back her tears as she exploded into the air.

"Kara, you okay?" Winn asked.

"No," Kara said and hovered in the clouds, letting a few tears drip onto her cheeks. Winn stayed quiet on the other end, giving her a moment to process the thoughts and emotions from what she'd just witnessed. How were people living in America like that? The Land of No One Actually Gives A Fuck. She did. She gave so many.

"The city isn't going to give me that money, are they?" She wasn't expecting any answer she wanted to hear.

"My bet is on not a chance in hell," Winn agreed.

"I think I know what Kara Danvers' next story is going to be."

"You get 'em, girl. You ready to kick some more butt? There is a child stuck on a piece of playground equipment in National City Park."

Kara nodded once though he couldn't see and took off.


	17. Chapter 17

A fun little chapter for you, my babies. Just a word of warning, next Friday I will be traveling to my MFA residency. It's an intensive 10-day seminar residency, so I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to write between now and mid-July... write this, I mean. I'll basically be writing non-stop. I shall return when I can and might even get another chapter up before I leave. :) Enjoy, my sweets!

Song: I didn't listen to one, but Do I Make You Wanna by Billy Currington was stuck in my head during editing this morning, so... good enough.

* * *

Lena stepped off the plane and into the waiting car. She was already exhausted, but it wasn't even noon yet in Tokyo. She sipped from the thermos she'd refilled before the plane landed and turned on her phone. It pinged and beeped with news articles and text messages and emails and missed phone calls. A headline about Supergirl popped up that caught her attention, and she clicked on it before it disappeared. It was a link to a new Twitter page that Supergirl had set up that morning. It already had close to a million followers and several hundred photos of Kara—some were selfies with random people throughout the city and others taken from afar. Kara covered in puppies and playing soccer with a bunch of kids and holding the hand of an elderly woman in the middle of a busy street. Her superhero had been busy since she'd left. Lena bit her lip and clicked the follow button from the L-Corp account. She refused to set up a personal account, that was a good way to invite unnecessary trouble and abuse.

Kara invited it, too, but she'd also done something incredible. She'd taken the power of Supergirl's exploits out of the hands of the media and had given it to the people. Heat expanded in her chest, pride and love and admiration. She closed the page and pulled up her texts, finding a few fluffy ones from Kara and one long short story ranting about the city's lack of empathy and a recounting of Supergirl's experience in a soup kitchen. Lena scratched her forehead and called Kara.

"Hey!" Kara answered a little breathless.

"Are you alright, darling?" Lena almost laughed at the stumbling on the other end.

"I just got home. I was ordering pizza," Kara said, more shuffling. "Hold on, I need to put you on speaker." The sound changed. Lena waited. "I'm trying to change my clothes. How was your flight?"

Lena chuckled at the other woman. She really believed that she could listen to Kara babble all night and never grow bored. "It was long. I took advantage of the time and revised the proposal with my lawyers and board members. They're thrilled with the chance to work with Masao Industries."

"Wait, what? That is who you were wooing? Aren't they like the biggest female-run tech corporation outside of America? I heard their CEO fired someone once for wearing the wrong kind of shoes." Kara sounded impressed, but having worked for a powerful, demanding CEO herself, she wasn't quite as awestruck as most people would have been.

This was Lena's life… famous CEO's and business trips. Kara fit. She just… fit. She regretted not asking Kara to come along with her. Lena swallowed the dryness in her mouth and smiled before she spoke, changing the tone of her voice—a little tip she'd picked up from her assistant, actually.

"Yes, Aneko is a woman who knows what she wants and how she wants it done, but that story is pure gossip, darling. She simply had the shoes removed from the conference room." They shared a laugh, and Lena relaxed a little. She was prepared, she was a powerful. She had done what no other Luthor could do, despite how hard Lex had tried, by getting this contract.

"We graduated from our MBA program together. I asked her then if she would like to start something. She refused because I didn't know Japanese, so I've been learning conversational Japanese the past few years when it started to look like Lex might run the company into the ground," Lena explained.

"You're amazing… and devious," Kara added. Lena preened a little, smoothing a hand over her thigh as she crossed her legs.

"Thank you, darling. What about you? I just read your texts about a soup kitchen. Is everything alright?" Lena switched subjects. She'd have rather been at home with Kara in the city she'd grown to love the past two years.

"Oh, I am taking on the mayor with this one. Politics be damned. It is a city-funded facility, but they've barely provided enough funding to cover food costs and to pay a few of the workers to keep that place running. It's awful, Lena. I just… I don't understand," Kara admitted, tearing up again.

"Darling, I could…"

"No," Kara snapped. "I need people to care, I need…" Kara stopped short, took a breath. Lena heard her drop onto the bed or the sofa. "Supergirl needs to do this on her own. She wants to make the people care about what is happening," she said, softer.

Lena bit her lip. Kara wasn't even careful about her hiding of Supergirl's identity anymore, still she played the game. Kara wasn't ready. "Well, I imagine if Supergirl endorsed a public fundraising event, even something online with her new Twitter account, people would begin to care."

"I know, I just… She's worried about making it about her and not the people who need help. I'm going to write a piece on it. See if I can figure out why there is no funding," Kara said. Lena heard the hint of defeat in her voice, the drowning of a woman who cared too much in a selfish world.

"Someone has to be the first to show they care, Kara, or no one else will follow," Lena encouraged.

"I bet some local grocery stores and farms would be willing to donate their excess food, or maybe at a lower cost," Kara said after a moment.

"Good, what else?" Lena asked. Her car pulled up to her hotel, and a doorman stepped out to open her door and retrieve her luggage. Aneko was sparing no expense for her accommodations, a very good sign. Lena waited until the two security guards from the car behind her flanked the door before stepping onto the sidewalk.

"You're right, though. The fastest way to get them running again is a Supergirl-endorsed online fundraiser." Kara sighed heavily, and Lena dug her blunt fingernails into her pants. Kara cared too much. She was beginning to understand the burden of that. "Once they're operational, I can call for more volunteers. Maybe… ask Supergirl to keep randomly showing up to help out so people will want to come, too."

"Sounds reasonable," Lena said and showed her identification at the front desk, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Focus on getting the money to fix some of the buildings so they have free or rent-controlled places to stay. It's not enough, but it's a start, I guess."

"Let me know what Supergirl decides. L-Corp and Lena Luthor will be the first to offer donations," Lena said. Kara snorted on the other end, and Lena's eyes narrowed as she stepped into an elevator. "What?"

"Are you going to buy those buildings?" Kara asked.

"Darling, I've just secured the future of my company for at least another decade. I only ask that my name not be associated with the project. I'll ask my accountant to set up a charity under Supergirl's namesake. The charity will retain full ownership of the buildings and project. Perhaps you know someone who would enjoy the position."

"What? Why? Lena this is… you're buying like a whole city block and asking nothing in return. Let CatCo do a piece on it, at least."

"I said no, Kara," Lena said, firm but not quite snappy.

"Why not?"

"Because I will not allow the media to make a spectacle of these people in exchange for a moment of good press. You and I both know that my association with this project will be seen quite differently than Sueprgirl's. I will know, and that's enough for me," Lena explained and sat on the edge of her giant hotel bed. She wanted so badly to lie down and sleep. Kara was silent beyond her gentle breaths into the phone. Lena massaged a sore muscle in her neck and waited.

"I have the money, Kara. Let me help," she pleaded.

"You inspire me, Lena," Kara finally said with a quiet voice that sounded wet with emotion.

"You inspired me first." Lena smiled softly. If she'd been a more spontaneous person, she'd have gone back to the airport and flown home just to kiss Kara before she slept.

"I love you. Is that… is that okay to say?" Kara's insecurity was palpable thousands of miles away, and Lena shoved down the urge to kiss it into oblivion.

"I love you, too, Kara," she said instead of answering the question. It was answer enough.

A knock interrupted the moment, and Lena glared at the door. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and her meeting wasn't for another two hours at Masao. Her heart kicked up a notch, hands trembling with adrenaline. "Hold on a moment, darling." She went to the door and peeked through the peephole before opening the door.

"Aneko?" The woman stood with two men in slim suits and earpieces flanking either side a step back from her. They looked nothing like the beefy security officers Lena generally employed, but she had no doubt they were just as lethal, maybe more so. Long black hair fell over her breasts and back, cut perfectly by the thinness of her shoulders.

The woman smirked at Lena's surprise and held up a bottle of scotch. "I remember how much you hate flying. You still drink, right?" Lena was grateful that she'd opted for English.

Lena stepped to the side and swept her hand towards the room, waving the phone around before holding it her ear. She watched Aneko enter, and the guards turned their backs and took up a stance on either side of the door, so Lena closed the door. "Darling, I have to go."

"You've got this. She's just as lucky to work with you. Remember that," Kara said on the other end, and Lena grinned.

"I'll talk to you soon," she said and ended the call.

"Darling?" Aneko said with a raised lip, not quite smirking.

"She's, ah… It's complicated," Lena said and sat at the table where her old friend was pouring two tumblers of scotch.

"Complicated is an improvement. National City has changed you," she said.

"So, people keep saying." Gabriella flashed into her mind for a moment. She'd said the exact same thing.

Aneko raised a glass and took a sip. "I hope she is worthy."

Lena drank with her new partner, breathing out the smooth, pleasant burn. "I'm trying to be worthy of her. She has inspired me to be better and believes that I can be."

"Then we must drink to new beginnings. Together, we will change the world. To love and science."

Lena chuckled. "To love and science." They drank.

"Let me take you to lunch, Lena. After the meeting, we can tour my facilities. I acknowledge your desire to see them before signing the contract tomorrow morning. All safety inspections will be at your disposal, and we can postpone the signing until you are comfortable in your assessment."

"Thank you, Aneko. I'm sure there will be no issue, but I will review everything."

Aneko nodded and stood. "Would you like to change?"

Lena followed her to her feet. "I've only brought two suits, including the one I'm wearing. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning." She followed Aneko to the door, dug in the small suitcase for her purse, and slipped the hotel keycard and her phone into it.

"Are you concerned about another assassination attempt?" she asked, blunt and to the point as she'd always been. Lena's two bodyguards fell into step behind them, Aneko's leading them down the hallway.

"Shouldn't I be? I'm sure Lex already knows we've brokered this deal," Lena said, bitter and exhausted. Everything she accomplished was overshadowed with a churning in her gut that it might have angered her brother. Even in an isolated prison cell, he had power and connections, and he'd proven that when he'd tried to kill her. "I'm not concerned for myself as much as I am the thousands of L-Corp employees who might get caught in the crossfire. You may be a target, too, Aneko."

"I'm aware of the risks, Lena. Who would I be if I admitted defeat before ever trying? Especially after watching you shoot your would-be assassin on national television."

"Alive," Lena muttered as they stepped onto the elevator.

"I'd rather be dead than a coward. I will not succumb to a fear-mongering terrorist like Lex Luthor, and I'd rather lose my company than submit to your mother's bullying tactics." Aneko ran a hand down Lena's arm, leaving it wrapped around Lena's wrist and leaned in until her lips brushed Lena's ear. "I'm only sad I won't be privately entertaining the prodigal Luthor daughter during her business trips. Are you as old-fashioned as I remember or has your new inspiration opened your mind on monogamy?"

Lena chuckled and pressed a kiss to Aneko's cheek. "This is why we would have never worked. You're a hopeless flirt," she said with a smirk.

"We had fun, though." Aneko laughed and moved back a few inches, keeping her shoulder pressed to Lena's. It wasn't the touch of flirtation, just comfortable. She appreciated the fluidity of Aneko's personality. Take it or leave it, she really hadn't cared either way and flowed with things as they unfolded. She'd persuaded Lena into more than one adventure with that charisma.

Aneko stepped out of the elevator first, and Lena pulled her phone from her purse. _I miss you._ She looked at the text a moment, finger hovering over the button. They'd not done that yet, said those particular words since Lena left. It was silly. Of course it was silly, Lena had been gone for all of 12 hours. She shouldn't feel the ache in her chest to be nearer to Kara and L-Corp and the sounds of National City and her assistant Jess. Tom stuck his arm in the elevator, holding the doors open, and she sent the message to Kara and put the phone away as she stepped off between her security detail.


	18. Chapter 18

Soooo, yeah, turns out working on MFA stuff is not nearly as fun and this chapter came out. So, I'll guess I'll have to write at lest one more before I leave because I don't think you'll forgive me if I leave you hanging this way. Enjoy, my loves!

Song: Black Sheep by Gin Wigmore

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Lena entered L-Corp with a sway in her hips and a smirk on her lips. It was late on a Sunday evening, so no one was really around to see how powerful she felt, but the stride and step of victory would not be tamed. "Welcome back, Ms. Luthor," said the guard at the door. She dropped the handle of her suitcase and smiled at her, scanning her brain for a name. "Thank you, Tamra." The security officer grinned and nodded her head. Lena continued her trek to the elevator, no less urgent or confident than when she'd entered. She should have been exhausted. She'd flown two 12-hour trips in less than 48, barely slept because Aneko was just as precocious as she'd always been. Lena had never seen Tokyo like that before, and she'd made a note to take Kara to that little restaurant if she ever went with her on trips, perhaps without the bottle of sake she and Aneko had shared. She'd barely been able to think with the pounding in her head during the safety inspections, which put them a few hours behind the scheduled signing. It all worked out in the end, and no one knew her face in Tokyo, so she'd not seen any photos of her in the American press yet. It was a success in every way.

On the flight home, she'd kept her promise to Kara and donated anonymously to the Go Fund Me account she'd created for the soup kitchen. They'd have their ovens before the end of the next day, Lena remained aloof and mysterious, and Supergirl made the people care about the issue. She punched the elevator button to the top floor and pulled out her phone, dialing Kara's number.

"Hey!" came the bubbly response on the other end. "Are you home?"

"I'm at L-Corp. Aneko has a new project already in research and development at Masao and wants L-Corp to handle North and South American development and distribution. I wanted to prepare the proposal for my board while it's fresh in my mind. Legally, I can't tell you anything about it, but it's an amazing product."

"I'm sure it will be," Kara said with a smile in her voice. "I'm glad you're back in National City."

"Me too. My building is still standing and my plane didn't explode, so I appreciate you keeping them safe," Lena joked about the very serious promise she'd made.

"Always," Kara laughed. The moment of levity lingered. "You should try and get some sleep. Are you still meeting with other investors tonight?"

"Dear god, no. I think I'd probably destroy those contracts after spending the weekend with Aneko." Lena stepped off the elevator. The top floor was dark, only safety lights every 10 feet, powered by the energy stored from the solar panels on top of the building.

"Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. Was it good to see Aneko again?" Kara asked. Lena heard her moving around, the telltale sounds of glass clinking in the refrigerator door, and grinned.

"Seeing Aneko is always an experience, business or otherwise. It's simply rare that I meet with a partner who has an intelligence and drive that matches my own. She, uh… we were close. I was… not in a good relationship when we met."

"Define not good," Kara said. The shuffling on the other end stilled, and Lena stopped outside of her office, pulling a deep breath through her nose.

"The woman was abusive, Kara. Not… not so much physically, but she did hit me once."

"I want her name and social security number," Kara said. Lena laughed though it wasn't a joke.

"It was a long time ago, Kara. I've recovered, but it took a few years. Gabriella and Aneko and Robbie, my friend in the Amish community, they watched me go from one bad relationship to another to more terrifying situations. From the end of high school half-way thru my MBA, I sought validation wherever I could get it, and it made me vulnerable to a lot manipulation. Aneko pulled me out of the last bad decision and helped me get the help I needed to escape that place in my mind. She saved my life."

Lena chewed her lip and listened to Kara breathe on the other end. Was it too much? "Kara?"

"I'm here, baby, I'm just…" Lena smiled at the term of endearment, positive that Kara wasn't even aware of using it. "I'm…"

 _Angry_. Lena finished the sentence in her head.

"Thank you for telling me, Lena," she said after a moment of calming herself.

"It's not too much?" Lena asked.

"No! No, absolutely not. I'm… I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me."

"Kara, it was never about trust. I didn't want to… dredge up old relationships and emotional damage when we were trying to build something together. You're the first woman I've had a proper relationship with since college. I didn't need you to be my crutch or make you feel like you couldn't challenge me and ask for what you wanted in the relationship," Lena explained.

"And now?"

"And now I want you to be my partner so I can share my life with you, the good and the bad. I don't need a definition to love you, darling, but eventually, when you're ready, I… I want you to know that I am, too."

"It is noted," Kara replied, a hint of lightness in her tone. She wasn't ready, and they both knew it, not until she was ready to share Supergirl with Lena.

"Good," Lena said and turned the handle on her office door. It was dark like everything else in L-Corp at this time of night. Lena flipped on the light.

"I'm going to…"

A figured appeared from the darkness, and Lena let out a high-pitched sound, dropping her phone to grab her chest as she stumbled back a couple steps. She stopped abruptly when she hit the door, handle digging into her lower back.

"Lena?" Kara's voice filtered up from the floor as Lillian stood from Lena's desk. She rounded the side, smirking at her daughter. "Lena!"

Lena scooped up the phone and pressed it to her ear, unable to hide the tremble in her hand. "I'll call you back. I'm alright, darling."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll call you back." Lena ended the call and strode to the coatrack where she hung her purse and blazer but kept her phone in her hand. She took deep breaths with her back to her mother, trying to ease the throbbing in her chest where adrenaline vibrated.

"Honestly, Mother, and you question why the media loves to vilify Luthors. You're skulking about my office in the dark like a caped nemesis on a Saturday morning cartoon."

"Was that your little reporter?" Lillian said. It wasn't a question. It was bait, and Lena took it every time.

"You stay the hell away from her." She whirled around and crossed her arms, awkward with the strap of her laptop bag on one shoulder but no less effective.

"I was merely asking about your new fling, sweetheart. Will the Luthor Estate have to pay her off, too?" Lillian clasped her hands in front of her hips, face soft and eyes wide.

"What do you want, Mother?" Lena snapped and crossed to her desk with her laptop bag, setting it atop the papers across her desk. She needed to have a serious discussion with her security team.

"Masao Industries. I came to congratulate you," Lillian said. It sounded sincere, and Lena shivered and crossed her arms again.

"You could have called instead of breaking into my office. We both know you only see me when you want something, so what is it?" Lena went to the wet bar, turning her back to Lillian as she poured a few fingers of scotch. She wasn't afraid of her mother, at least she managed to convince herself of that momentarily.

"Lena, you have managed to secure a company that refused to even speak to me or your brother. Can't I come here to appreciate that?" Lillian asked, still using that voice that made Lena's stomach churn and her heart soar. Maybe this time… that's what she'd always said. Maybe this time, she would be good enough for Lillian to mentor, to be proud of, to love. Just another vicious cycle borne in Lena's insecurities.

"I don't appreciate being followed. My professional and personal life is none of your concern. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? I renounce my claim to the Luthor Estate, you sell me your and Lex's stock in Luthor Corp, and we stay out of each other's way. I've done that, why can't you?"

"Because I was wrong about you, Lena. Imagine what we could do if we joined forces. We could be a family, complete your brother's destiny together."

"I'm not interested. Good night, Mother," Lena snapped without facing the other woman. Not this time, not this night, not when someone was genuinely proud of her, when Kara anxiously awaited her call.

"Is this because of your reporter, sweetheart?"

Lena whipped around, sloshing scotch over the side of the tumbler. "Kara has nothing to do with this. I'm an adult, Lillian, and you can't walk in here with your false promises and ulterior motives and expect to manipulate me anymore. What the hell are you up to?"

Lillian's eyebrow jumped, and Lena dropped her gaze to the floor, hating that her own eyebrow did the same thing when she was surprised. The older woman crossed her arms, leaning slightly to the side. Lena did that, too. She'd learned to be a snake from the mother who hated her. Lena wiped her hand on a towel, ran it over the glass, moved to her desk. She sat, took a sip, leaning back in the chair. She finally felt as exhausted as she should have.

"How long until Cat Grant's protégé uses her personal relationship with you to make her name?" Lillian asked, setting both hands onto the desk.

Lena pushed air from her nostrils in a forceful puff and took another drink, breathing in the burn through her mouth. Her eyes watched the amber-tinted liquid swirl around the glass with the gentle twist of her wrist. "I've tried, she refuses."

"Is she satisfied with that?" Lillian asked.

Lena raised her eyes but not her head. Lillian held flat palms in the air and sat in the chair across from Lena, folding her hands in her lap. Lena sat her glass on the desk and slipped one leg over the other to keep her from draining the entire glass in one go. Her arms dangled over the arms of the chair. Her face remained still, neutral, despite the clenching of her chest and thumping of blood in her temple.

"She's not living openly with her sexuality, or cat Grant would have painted the side of building with a rainbow flag by now. And CatCo Media hasn't officially endorsed L-Corp, which means that the queen isn't aware yet."

"Are you threatening Kara's journalistic integrity?" That made her sit up and pay attention.

"I'm not," Lillian defended and touched both hands to her chest.

"Choosing to avoid the spotlight is not the same as living in secrecy. Neither one of us are hiding. Kara Danvers is not your concern mother, if I see you near her, ever, I will…"

"You'll what? Shoot me the way you shot Mr. Corbin when he had a gun to the other Danvers girl?"

"Corbin was trying to kill me!" Lena stood, sending her chair crashing into the balcony window behind her.

"Tell me there wasn't a hint of vindication when you pulled that trigger, knowing you were protecting this woman's sister. Lex isn't the only murderer in this family, sweetheart."

Lena stared hard at her mother, feeling stupid for taking her bait and worried that maybe Lillian was right. Maybe she was more Luthor than human.

"How long will she love you once she sees what you are truly capable of, Lena." Lillian stood and touched Lena's face. "You worked with your brother once. Together, you were unstoppable. How long will she love you when she finds out you helped design Lex's arsenal to rid the earth of the scourge of alien invaders?" Lena's jaw jumped beneath Lillian's hand, and she hated that the other woman knew how deep her words cut.

"I was high out my mind when I helped Lex." Lena smacked Lillian's hand away from her and straightened her spine. "I had no idea what I was doing. I just solved the formulas he set in front of me. If you really cared about me, you would have taken me to a rehab facility instead of Lex's lab. You used me because you knew I had no idea what I was doing."

Lena leaned forward on her hands again, a few inches from Lillian's face. "You can't stand the fact that strung out on drugs for months, I was still smarter than Lex ever was."

Lena smirked and touched her mother's cheek, the way Lillian often touched her. "How does it feel to know you backed the wrong genius?"

Lillian's eyes hardened, jaw set. Without word, she turned swiftly and stalked from the office, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the tumblers at the wet bar. Lena touched the arm of her chair, pulling it back to her desk before collapsing into it. She propped an elbow on the arm and covered her face. Her chest shuddered with tears she wanted to shed. She was exhausted. She was not sleeping on her sofa. Lena stood and picked up her laptop bag, grabbed her phone and purse, and switched off the lights as she left. At the front entrance, she reclaimed her suitcase from the officer who looked up at her like she thought Lena was going to fire her.

"Lillian Luthor is no longer permitted on the premises," she said, doing her best to keep her emotions in check. It wasn't the guard's fault.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you."

Lena went to the car still waiting outside. The driver looked surprised when she tapped on the window and woke him up from his nap. He'd been paid for the whole night. She slipped into the back seat when the locks disengaged and stared out the window as he drove through the quiet city towards home. When she flipped the light switch in her penthouse, Lena looked around, still feeling lost. She wasn't a bad person. She wasn't. She left her luggage sitting beside the elevator and scanned her card as the doors started closing. A guard nodded to her when she got off at the parking garage floor. Her Porsche always sat as close to the door as possible, given that she never allowed security officers to accompany her home. She hated leaving her baby on the street in front of Kara's apartment building, but that night… that night, she hoped someone stole it.

She knocked on Kara's door and looked at the floor. It only took a few seconds for Kara to open the door, confused and worried. Lena couldn't blame her. She raised her head so she could study Kara's wide, soft blue eyes, the ripple of tension in her muscled neck. Kara believed she was good.

"Hi," Kara said.

"Hi," Lena returned. "I hope it's okay that I'm here."

"Of course. Come in." Kara stepped to the side and closed the door once Lena stepped through, sliding the locks into place.

"Are you okay? What happened at your office?"

Lena dropped her purse to the floor and slipped her arms around Kara's neck. The other woman's hands went instinctively to her waist. Lena touched Kara's cheek, moving her hand down the side of her neck. She brushed her thumb over Kara's pulse point, feeling it hammer beneath her touch. She wondered if Kara heard her heartbeat with her advanced hearing. She wondered if one of her creations would kill Kara one day. The hands on her were so gentle, so soft. Lena knew that Kara possessed the ability to snap bones, break her body. She controlled it, and Lena felt humanity slipping around her intelligence and ambition like a protective shield. If Supergirl played with puppies without bashing their brains out or breaking their necks, Lena knew she could maintain control of her intelligence—her need to do something just to know it could be done.

"Can we just let tonight happen, Kara? Can we… can we figure out the rest in the morning?"

"Lena, what happened?"

"My mother is a horrid example of a human being. I... wanted to remind myself why I fight when the world is against me. It's you, Kara. People like you, like Supergirl, you inspire me to be more, to be better than what the world expects of me." Lena pushed her fingers into Kara's wavy hair, tucked it behind her ear, shook it loose again. Kara waited, sensing the conflict in her. Kara always knew how to read her, knew when to push and when to stay silent.

"Loving you has not been my greatest weakness, Kara, it's my greatest source of strength, but I don't feel very strong right now." Lena saw in Kara's eyes that she followed the events of the evening without needing them spelled out.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Lena?" Kara asked.

"I'm sure that I want you to make love me tonight. I don't know what this means for us tomorrow." Lena held her gaze steady, letting Kara see her—all of her, the doubt and the fear and the need and the insecurity and the love. She wanted this. She needed Kara to make her feel strong.

Kara nodded, lowering her mouth until her lips brushed Lena's when she said, "Okay."


	19. Chapter 19

So, three reasons why I needed to write this chapter.

Y'all have been amazing so far with this journey, I wanted to, emotional sex scenes are like second nature to angsty writers such as myself. I think I'm finally satisfied with this one, so huge thank you to my writing partner in this story who does fantastic Cat Grant dialogue for reading my six?...seven? eight? edits? Absolute angel, she is. I couldn't bare the thought of having Lillian in this chapter, so I broke it up into two.

As always, thanks for the reviews and follows! Enjoy, my loves!

Song: Iris (cover) by Leona Lewis

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Kara looked up from where her hands touched the top button of Lena's shirt. Green eyes shimmered but remained steady. "Is this okay?" Kara whispered. Lena nodded, bit her lip. It wasn't meant to be sexy, not this time. Something had scared the hell out of Lena. Kara popped the first button and lowered her mouth to Lena's, moving as slowly as the fingers feeling their way over the second button. Kara's fingers slid over her breasts, and Lena broke their kiss with a gasp. Kara grinned softly, the last thing Lena needed was teased. Kara guided her palms over Lena's breasts, cupping the sides. When she brushed her thumbs over the little mounds pushing through Lena's bra and shirt, blunt nails dug into the back of her neck.

"I'm…" Lena started. Her gaze dropped a little, and Kara was reminded of the precarious emotional state that had brought Lena to her door that night. Something had broken inside of her, and Lena couldn't juggle the pieces anymore. She needed to let it crumble.

"Hypersensitive for a few days after your menstrual cycle," Kara finished. "I remember. I'll be gentle."

Lena nodded and reached for the abandoned buttons. Kara held the weight of her chest in her palms and tracked the pale skin as it became visible with her eyes. They watched together, temples touching. Lena left the shirt tucked into her skirt and dropped her hands. Kara's fingertips started at the base of her throat, gliding over smooth, soft skin—the valley between her breasts, the length of her belly and dip of her navel, the slight curve of skin above the hem of her skirt. Tiny ripples of skin followed Kara's fingertips, rising to meet the touch it craved.

Kara pulled the right side of the shirt free and peeled it from Lena's shoulder. When she bent to press a kiss there, Lena's hands held the back of her head. Kara tugged the other side and back of the shirt with her left hand, and dropped open-mouthed kisses along Lena' left shoulder. Her skin was always so warm, so much like… like a room full of laughter and the people she loved. The scent of it, the salt of sweat from Lena's neck on her tongue, the whiskey-spiced breath rushing over her cheek and ear. Kara pulled on either side of the shirt. Lena tugged her wrists free.

Kara wrapped both arms around her, hands splayed over the bared flesh of her back. The familiar dips and ridges of muscle pulsed into her palms, living in the memory of her fingers. Lena wrapped a hand around her neck, scratched at her hairline. Kara let out a heavy sigh, shoulders drooping from the release of tension that had been coiled there for days.

"Kara?"

"I've missed you," Kara whispered as an answer. They'd both felt the shift of energy in the alien, the reverence for this moment that swelled and crashed inside of her. "Lena, I'm so sorry for…"

Lena pulled back far enough to smash their mouths together. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't demanding. Kara's shoulder drooped, but her arms tightened, bringing their bodies flush. Lena changed the angle of her mouth, ending the kiss before lowering her head to Kara's shoulder.

"We'll figure it out in the morning," she said and took Kara's hand.

She followed Lena around the partition, stilettos on hardwood the only sound in the apartment. She waited for Lena to turn around and face her again. Lena wanted this. She was in control, even if she'd asked Kara to take it. Lena looked at the bed, bit her lip. Kara stepped behind her, pressed a kiss to the top of her right shoulder. Her fingers slipped beneath Lena's bra straps, sliding down to the larger piece of fabric.

"Can I take this off?"

"Yes."

Kara released the hooks and let the material fall open. Lena's hands jumped towards her chest, fell back to her sides. She wanted to run, Kara knew it. She stepped back and crossed her arms, pulling her baggy shirt over her head. She tossed it to the side and pushed her jogging pants over her hips. They dropped to her calves, and she kicked them away. Nothing remained between them, and Kara pressed close to Lena's back, letting her feel their combined heat before she put her hands on the other woman's hips and kissed the side of her neck. Her hardened nipples traced patterns over Lena's back as she soothed her anxious partner.

When Lena shrugged the straps off and dropped the bra to the floor, Kara slipped her hands over Lena's waist, her belly, feeling the different pieces that made the body pressing back into her. Lena kicked off her heels one at a time and pushed the fingers of each hand between Kara's atop her stomach.

"Kara," she whispered. It was almost a question, but not quite.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm not going anywhere," Kara promised. She nipped lightly at Lena's neck, nuzzled against the back of her ear.

"I know."

Lena lifted her hands and placed them atop her breasts, gasping at the sensation. Her head lulled back against Kara's shoulder, and the taller woman looked over her, mesmerized by their combined hands moving against Lena's body. If it had been any other moment, any other person, Kara would have given into the urge of her body and ground her crotch against the ass rubbing against her just enough to make her dizzy with arousal. But this wasn't another moment, and this wasn't another body. This was Lena. Lena who had asked her for comfort, for love and safety, for this night. Kara held her abs taut, controlling her body.

Lena's hands left hers, and the right reached for the zipper of her black skirt. Kara squeezed her breasts, and Lena's hips jerked, dislodging the fabric to her ankles. She swiped it away and stretched both arms over her head, grabbing Kara's shoulders. Kara traced her thumbs around Lena's pert brown nipples, brushed them with a feathery touch that made Lena's back arch. Kara nipped her long thin neck, flicked her tongue against the back of her ear. Lena's breasts bounced against her hands with the weight of her breath. Heat melded Kara's chest to her back, the beginning of Lena's sweat because Kara didn't sweat, not on this planet.

She lifted Lena's hair with one hand, the other holding her belly. She planted a kiss at Lena's hairline behind her ear and attached her lips to that spot, pulling until a purple bruise bloomed as close to Lena's brain as Kara could get. Lena turned and wrapped her arms around Kara's neck. Their lips met, moving. Their breasts and bellies and thighs pushed and pulled against the body not quite close enough. Lena panted into her mouth, clung to her back with both hands, pulling Kara closer.

"Kara, I need to tell you something," she said without looking up. Her hand held the back of Kara's neck, the other on her bare chest. "Don't send me away."

"I won't," Kara promised.

Lena raised her eyes, flicking them back and forth searching for something in Kara's. "I helped Lex."

"What?" Kara's entire body coiled, prepared for the threat unseen.

"I didn't mean to," Lena continued quickly. She reinforced her grip on Kara's neck and bowed her head, bumping the top against Kara's mouth. Kara didn't push her away, but she hadn't pulled her closer, either.

"That… that bad situation Aneko helped me escape," Lena spoke to her chest, too afraid to see Kara's eyes, too afraid to move in case Kara bolted from the embrace. "She took me to rehab, Kara. She came to my brother's lab where I was working between summer sessions and used her family's connections to gain access to the facility and practically abducted me. She stood up to my mother and brother long before I had the strength to do it."

Kara's lips formed a kiss against her scalp, and Lena melted further into the embrace.

"I didn't know that Lex and Lillian were denying my friends access to me. I wasn't really aware of much going on around me, honestly. I liked solving formulas for my brother. He'd always had grand visions of things he struggled to complete. I didn't know what I was helping Lex create. I just… I wanted him to love me again. The drugs had never been a problem before or since then, but I tried… heroine with that bad relationship I mentioned earlier, and I couldn't…"

Lena raised her head to see the damage she'd done. Kara's eyes weren't hard, but they weren't without anger, either. "I didn't know, Kara. I didn't know what I was doing, and it's not an excuse, but… Please don't send me away, not tonight. Please, I need… I need someone to know. I need someone to see me. Please, Kara, don't…"

Kara covered her mouth with three fingertips. She replaced them with her lips, a soft caress, a promise maybe. "I'm not going to send you away, Lena. I will never send you away ever again."

Everything moved so fast from there. When Lena finally let go, Kara caught her.

Kara pushed on her shoulder, and Lena stepped towards the bed, lying back, clinging to Kara's shoulders as she followed above her. She settled, tugging the alien atop her. Kara slipped a leg between Lena's rubbing against the soaked panties separating their skin. Kissing along her jaw, she moved down the coiled but compliant body. Lena's hands buried in her hair, and her hips pushed against her with rhythm or direction as erratic as the quick gasps of air filling her lungs.

Gathering spit on her tongue, Kara shifted and dragged it flat over a taut, sensitive nipple. Lena's breath caught, her hands tugged at Kara's hair. The alien sucked once, tripped down the side of Lena's breast with wet kisses. She stopped at the top of the mound and tugged at the flesh there, leaving another purple mark. The bruises wouldn't mean much to Lena in that moment, but when she looked at them later, she'd understand Kara marked her head and heart. Kara sat up, trailing her fingertips over Lena's already quivering belly, her thighs, stopped at her knees and reversed the path to Lena's hips.

"Please, Kara," came the breathy plea when Kara hesitated. She looked up at the flushed body, shuddering with the breaths trying to fill her lungs. "Please," Lena repeated.

Kara hooked her fingers on either side of the remained shred of fabric and guided them down Lena's legs, arching back to remove them from her feet. She tossed them away and kept one leg above her shoulder, kissing a calf muscle, the back of Lena's knee, along the back of her thigh. Lena sniffled, and Kara jumped back.

"Don't stop," Lena pleaded and wiped at her face. "I'm sorry, just… don't… don't stop. Please."

Kara held her weight on both hands and lowered her mouth to Lena's who took after it, hungry and desperate. "I'm not going to stop. You don't need to apologize," Kara whispered almost into her mouth. "Just tell me if I go wrong, okay?"

Lena nodded, clinging to her neck. Her shoulder caught a few near-silent sobs, and Kara waited, kissing Lena's neck and shoulder, whatever was within her reach. Lena had been so strong, for her and L-Corp and herself. She'd been forgiving when she'd never deserved it, when the public never deserved it. She never complained, never asked why she'd been given this life. She'd never stood a chance as a Luthor, but there she was, thriving and killing it and living her own truth.

"I love you," Kara heard herself say and realized she'd been repeating it over and over into Lena's ear, in between kisses and sobs.

"Please," Lena answered the confession and pushed on Kara's shoulders. Tears still trickled onto her cheeks.

"What do you want?" Kara asked. It wasn't teasing, it was barely a wisp of words leaving the air over her tongue. She raised up enough to look at Lena, and the woman's hands gripped her biceps that probably would have been uncomfortable for a human. "Tell me what you need, Lena."

"I…" Lena blinked and more tears tumbled onto her cheeks. Kara kissed them, disrupting the salty stream that trickled against her upper lip, not intent to stop any time soon.

"Your mouth," Lena answered.

Kara shifted, leaving lingering kisses between her breasts, on her belly and hip. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her mouth against Lena's knee, breathing in the scent of her, memorizing the sounds of her tears. Lena's skin was right there. She was right there. Kara touched her thigh, slid a hand to her hip, and pulled away to look at the body in her hands. The very breakable skin begged for her touch, and for the first time in her life, she was truly afraid of what her touch could do.

She kissed just above the neatly trimmed swatch of hair above Lena's clit. That was new. She'd been bare when they were together before, and Kara confirmed for herself that Lena shaved because she felt she should, not because it was comfortable for her. Kara didn't care. It was an inane practice and unheard of on Krypton. Women had hair. She nuzzled it and inhaled the earthy scent of arousal.

Lena spread her knees a little wider, making room for her shoulders, and Kara settled on her belly. When she wrapped her arms around Lena's thighs, Lena reached down and slipped her fingers between Kara's, grounding herself. Kara slipped a tongue between the wet lips and moaned at the familiarity she found there. Lena gasped, and Kara looked up to find her lover with her eyes shut tightly, head pushed back into the pillow. With her mouth open in a pant, the sounds became stronger, more erratic with the more pressure Kara applied with her tongue. Lena tugged at her hands, rolled her hips against Kara's mouth. She flicked her the tip of her tongue over the flushed nub, swollen from the extra blood rushing there over the past week, the past few minutes.

It was beautiful. Lena was beautiful.

A few minutes might have passed… or an hour. Lena tensed, and Kara stilled, breathing against the body trembling out the first ripple of pleasure. Lena relaxed her grip on Kara's hands, and Kara dipped her tongue inside the liquid heat of quivering muscles, running the flat of her tongue through slick, salty skin. Again and again, Lena tensed and relaxed, panted and moaned, never louder than a whisper. Kara closed her eyes and gave herself to the moment, alternating methods and angles with her tongue. Her own body screamed for release, but still, she focused on the body and scent and sound of the woman in her hands. The longer she surrounded herself with Lena, the more her own body faded into the background, just a hum of energy like the sounds she heard but no one else could in a silent building. It was meditation, some might have called it worship, the sacrificing of one's own flesh to praise another.

"Kara," Lena said with a raspy voice. She touched the back of Kara's head, and the alien opened her eyes. "Come here."

Kara scrambled up Lena's body and laid beside her. She looked cleansed and sleepy and pulled Kara down for a kiss, licking at the remnants of herself around Kara's mouth. Lena had always loved the taste of herself on someone else's mouth, the evidence of a union, of a moment, of a promise. Kara's right hand moved over Lena's sweat-slicked belly, resting on her hip. When Lena pushed her shoulder, Kara rolled onto her back slow enough to hold the kiss.

"Thank you," Lena said against her mouth, and Kara grinned.

"I can think of a way or two to do that," she joked, testing the waters of Lena's emotional state.

Lena bit her lower lip. Her hand touched Kara's hip, and the alien's body jerked almost violently in response. Lena lowered her mouth to Kara's, nipping playfully. A finger slipped through the wetness between her legs, and Kara grabbed at the pillow under her head with both hands. Two fingers slipped inside the already clenching muscles, and she tried desperately to fight it. She didn't want to hurt Lena, but she was so wet and she'd been vibrating the entire night and she needed to come so badly her entire stomach ached. Lena sensed the urgency and thrust upward, hard and fast a few times before Kara tossed her head back and let out a little yell.

Adrenaline throbbed in her belly, and she rolled her hips. Lena fingered her through the first orgasm, taking her higher, pushing her towards that precipice of oblivion that Kara had craved for months. It wasn't rough or domineering, it was what Kara needed, and Lena sensed that. Her stomach tightened, stretching the muscles to her knees as she fought to maintain control. But Lena was there and they were okay for a moment and her entire body thrummed with the need of it, and heat vision sweltered behind her eyes, so she kept them shut tightly, and her moans were getting loader and then there was another finger and a mouth on her left nipple tugging and sucking with a teasing scrape of teeth.

"Lena!"

Kara felt hot liquid cover her thighs, splash back from Lena's hand onto her belly. Her body jerked and shuddered, and she felt the pillow case rip beneath her fingers. Kara laughed when Lena crooked her fingers, drawing out little ripples every few seconds. She covered her face with both hands and laughed again. It turned into a groan when Lena tugged her fingers free. Kara peeked through her hands and saw Lena shake out her hand, flex her fingers a few times. She swiped it over the blanket beside Kara's hip and collapsed against Kara's chest.

"Is your hand okay?" Kara asked, not quite ready to come down from the high but needing to know if she'd hurt Lena in order to enjoy it.

"Nothing's broken," Lena joked and kissed her temple.

Kara's body trembled with another wave of pleasure, and she closed her eyes, unable to stop the endorphins flooding her system. Lena chuckled and laid a hand on her ribs.

"That's new, darling," she said and kissed the side of Kara's breast. New for Kara, too, no one had ever made her squirt before.

Kara pushed up with renewed energy and flipped Lena onto her back, spirited as they left the emotional moment where it had happened and moved to the next. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's head, holding her mouth to the breast she nipped and teased. Heady pants filled the room, making Kara drunk on the sound. Kneeling, she held her weight on the flat of her left arm and brought her right hand to Lena's breasts, caressing her nipple, massaging the pliable flesh. She could have spent hours exploring Lena's breasts, but Lena let out a little sound, hips seeking out more friction where the heat thrummed in her belly.

Kara scraped blunt nails over her belly.

"Kar," Lena panted and jerked on the hair in her hand. Kara smirked and pulled her left nipple into her mouth, laving her tongue over it, fighting the urge to roughen her actions to match her desire. But Lena was sensitive, her breasts were always sensitive, but more so right after her period.

Lena spread her legs, wider. Her hips were already moving when Kara slipped one finger inside of her. She was so wet that there was no resistance, and Kara pushed a second inside of her, then a third. Lena dug her heels into the bed and lifted her hips, clinging to Kara's shoulders, the back of her head. Kara raised up and watched Lena fuck herself on her hand. Every breath came out in a high-pitched sound, Lena's sound, Lena's glorious unrestrained sound.

"Fuck, Kara, I… need…" Lena started. Kara thrust into her, and Lena yelled, nodding her approval.

It only took a few seconds. Lena's entire body shook. Slick muscles clenched and undulated around Kara's fingers. Lena pushed her hips down and rolled them upward and let loose with a throaty sound somewhere between a scream and battle cry. She tossed her head back onto the pillow, hair mussed, face flushed, chest panting. She pushed on the back of Kara's head and raised up to meet her in a desperate kiss. She shuddered a few times, riding out the gentler crashes of pleasure spreading from between her legs. Kara slipped her fingers out slowly and wiped them on the spent blanket. Lena burrowed into her chest, trying to catch her breath, and Kara rolled onto her back.

"I've missed you." Kara wrapped both arms around Lena and rested her cheek against the black hair tickling it.

"I've missed you, too," Lena agreed. She traced blunt nails across the skin between Kara's breasts. The sweat on her face fused her skin to Kara's. The alien untangled Lena's damp hair, smoothing her hand over it as she pressed little kisses to Lena's heated forehead.

When her breathing returned to normal, she pushed on Kara's belly and rolled to the other side of the bed. Her legs looked wobbly, but she managed to walk from the room. When Kara heard the bathroom door shut, she jumped up and pulled everything from the bed in one tug. She'd managed to soak the mattress a little, but a quick puff of super air dried it right up. She tossed the sheets and blankets in a corner and pulled the ripped pillow case from the pillow before Lena saw it and hid it beneath the pile. She heard the toilet flush and heard the shower start. She changed the sheets and put new pillow cases on and remade the bed. Kara heard the door open a few minutes later, and went into the living room area.

Lena looked up from the sofa where she was wrapped up in a towel, wet hair over her back and shoulders. One leg tucked under her, she balanced the laptop on her leg. Kara shook her head, and Lena slipped a pair of thick, black glasses onto her face, already absorbed in the work. Kara figured she needed to distance herself from her emotional confession, from the broken woman begging the person she loved not to send her away. Kara hopped in the shower and washed quickly, dried even faster, and came back a few minutes later wrapped in a big, blue fluffy towel. She kissed Lena on the cheek.

"Are you coming to bed?"

"I need to finish this project proposal. Shouldn't be more than an hour." Lena took off the glasses and looked up at Kara, grinning. Kara leaned over and kissed her.

"Take your time."

Lena nodded and went back to work, and Kara snagged her phone from the coffee table beside her own glasses. She'd forgotten to put them on when she answered the door. She should tell Lena. She'd not spoken to Lucy yet. Telling Lena might put her at risk from the DEO. Lena looked up at her, sensing the conflict in Kara's mind, the hesitation. Kara gave her a little grin and went back to the bedroom.

It was so normal, so different from the moment Lena had arrived at her apartment. This was the vibrant, beautiful woman who worked too hard because she cared too much, and Kara gave her the space to feel that power within herself. Kara tossed the towel on the growing stack of laundry in the corner, grinned at their clothes strewn across the floor, and slipped into the fresh sheets, wiggling until she found a comfy spot. She pulled up the text conversation she'd been having with Alex before Lena arrived and found a bunch waiting for her, as was expected.

 _Hey, sorry, got distracted._

 _Everything okay?_

 _Yep! And I will definitely help you with your alien problem tomorrow._

Kara watched the little dots on the screen. They disappeared, reappeared.

 _Really?_

 _Yes._ She'd missed hunting rogue aliens with her sister. She missed sharing something like that with Alex, not the work itself, but Alex had given her the space she requested. She was trying.

 _I'll see you then. I'm off to bed._

 _Night, sis. Love you._

 _Love you, too, Kara._

Kara looked up from the phone when movement caught her eye and noticed the rest of the apartment was dark now. She almost jumped out of bed, but Lena appeared and hit the switch on the lights of the bedroom, relying on the streetlights glowing on the other side of the blinds to find her way around their mess.

"That was fast," Kara said and watched her move to the other side of the bed. Kara double-checked the alarm on her phone and put it on the nightstand.

"I'm tired," Lena admitted. "It's close enough to done that the board won't notice, and I have the information store in my head. They'll ask a million questions instead of paying attention anyway, so I don't see the point."

Kara chuckled and turned onto her side to face Lena. They naturally gravitated to the center of the bed. Lena kissed her and turned the other way, pressing her back into Kara's body. Kara slipped an arm beneath her neck and around her stomach. Lena tangled her fingers Kara's and clung to her forearm with the other hand. Her energy was still thick with all that had been shared, all the vulnerability laid bare before the woman who had walked away from her without reason once before. It took a lot of trust, or maybe desperation for Lena to do that. She still wasn't sure what had set Lena off, but she was happy to have been part of getting her back on track. Lena was asleep in a few seconds, rightfully so after so much stress and traveling the past few days. Kara touched her forehead to the back of Lena's neck and waited for sleep to take her, too.

She understood. Her parents had not been the best of leaders, and without her life unfolding the way it had, she probably would have never known to question their methods, would have been a willing participant. Lena was not to blame for the manipulation of her mother and brother. Kara prayed to Rao—to not mess this up, to stop being so selfish and let Lena into her life completely, for the strength to keep her promises.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello, my sweethearts. One more chapter for you before I hit the road for residency. I'm also happy to report that I have figured out how to end this thing... since it started out as a one-shot that turned into a journey... as is so often the case with me. So, yay for endings!

Thank you for the reviews and welcome to the new followers!

Song: If Your Ever Did Believe by Stevie Nicks

* * *

Lena was warm. Kara's scent surrounded her, in her hair and on her skin and the pillow beneath her head. The shape of Kara's body pressed into her back. She felt safe and warm and rested but delirious with sleep. It was dark in the room, not even close to morning yet. A sharp pain shot through her hand, and Kara shifted against her back. The alien's fingers closed around her fingers in a crushing grip and mumbled against her shoulder.

"Kara," Lena whispered, not wanting to startle Kara but very aware of the possibility of Kara shattering every bone in her hand. The thought hadn't frightened her, merely slipped into her awareness. She rubbed Kara's forearm with her other hand. "Kara, darling."

Kara's grip relaxed, and Lena pulled her fingers free, flexing them a few times to work out the lingering ache. The woman behind her whimpered, jerked her entire body. Lena wasn't sure if she should wake Kara or move out of arm's reach before she got crushed. She rolled over and realized she'd not even opened her eyes yet. With some effort, she opened one enough to see Kara's face contorted into a tight grimace, teeth clenched, forehead cut with deep lines. Lena rubbed her palm over Kara's chest, fighting against the sleep trying to take her back under.

"Astra," Kara whined, sounding more like a lost child than a national hero.

"Shhh, darling. You're alright," Lena whispered and gave up the fight with her eyelids.

Moving her thumb back and forth over Kara's clavicle, Lena let sleep carry her back to that blessed place of oblivion. She was certain she'd fallen back to sleep, but she was also certain only a few seconds had passed since she'd closed her eyes a second time that night. She knew that wasn't right because the hue behind the pulled blinds was purple with the first hints of sun, and Kara had her head propped on a hand, looking down at her. She moved the other hand over Lena's hair, almost unfelt in the softness of the touch. Lena blinked, searching for signs that Kara had spent the night in the hellish depths of her own mind, but if she remembered the dream, she gave no indication of it.

Here, in the light, Lena saw Kara, saw what she'd done. The very thing she'd asked Kara not to do. She'd asked for comfort, and they'd given into each other because they both wanted what happened. And now they were in this place and Kara was looking at her like she'd just found a way to reverse time and save her entire world and Lena was frozen because she had no idea what to say or do. Her body told her to run. Her mind told her they should have a talk. Her heart told her to kiss the woman smiling shyly at the slight awkwardness.

"Me too," Kara whispered.

"What?" Lena blinked again, adding confusion to the swirl of emotions in her chest.

"What you said last night about love being strength. The way I love you, your love for me... it's... given me strength I didn't know I had," Kara clarified and tucked hair behind Lena's ear. She leaned in for a kiss, and Lena pressed a hand to her chest.

"It's a band-aid, Kara."

"What?" Kara stopped short, looking like a wounded puppy.

The hurt in those big blue eyes made Lena's chest cave with the impact of her words. She sat up and ran a hand through her tangled hair, hugging the sheet to her chest with the other. When she looked back, Kara was still on her side, nibbling on her lower lip and staring off at the other side of the bed.

"This… us… It's a band-aid, Kara. You haven't sought out a therapist, you haven't taken any of the steps you've promised to heal your pain. I've been in therapy nearly a decade to achieve the progress I have with myself. It doesn't happen overnight or because of a relationship. Yes, we are working things out, but you're not getting any better, and I…"

"But... but I am... I... okay, no to the therapist but I am getting better!" Kara cut her off and shifted on the bed to lean against the headboard. Lena heard her sigh heavily and glanced over her shoulder. Kara rubbed both hands over her face.

"I... I... I'm…" Kara started. Lena stared out into the living room area.

"I've always been afraid of being myself...of letting anyone see the real me...of being...me. People don't see the real me. They see sunshine and puppies and I can be that but not all the time."

Lena looked at her hands in her lap, keeping her head bowed. She'd not meant to do this, but it was done and floodgates had cracked open and the water was rushing through and she had no choice but to hold onto something.

"I have anger issues," Kara continued, "and sometimes I wanna be selfish and just... ignore everyone else and all my responsibilities and just sit in your office and watch you work all day and bring you coffee and lunch and take you to that bookshop you like. You... Lena, you let me be me, without judgement or expectations or…" Kara let out an exasperated sound, and Lena closed her eyes against the tears burning them.

"I know we're still working us out, we're both still trying and it must seem like I'm not working on myself, but Lena, I am getting better. I am, for you, because of you. Because with you, for you, I can be myself, I can tell my sister when she's being an over protective ass and to back the hell up out of my personal decisions. I can stand up to Snapper... not always but I'm getting better at telling him he's a jerk face. I'm taking more time for myself... I feel less guilty about wanting time for myself or wanting time with you."

Kara scooted up beside her and touched her shoulder, ducking her head to try and catch Lena's eyes. Lena closed them again. She needed to get control of herself. She needed to be strong… for Kara. Kara was the one in emotional crisis, and last night…

"I... I could never do any of those things before, without you," Kara interrupted the internal berating.

"I might not be seeing a therapist, not yet, but... you make me want to be better. You make me feel strong enough to try... please... please don't... don't think I'm not trying... please don't... don't push me away. I wanna be what you need, but... if you don't tell me, I don't know what that is, I don't know what I need to do...but I am getting better... you make everything better."

"It isn't my responsibility to make everything better," Lena finally cut off the rambling, knowing it could have gone on much longer if she allowed it. She opened her eyes, steeling her facial muscles into something hard, something that felt wrong for this moment.

"Please don't put that on me, Kara. You need to get do these things for yourself. What if I'm not here one day?"

"What does that mean? Where are you going?" Kara looked ready to cry, and Lena softened, touching her face. Kara leaned her cheek into Lena's palm. Her eyes were still wide and hurt and confused.

"Nowhere, not at the moment. I'm only worried about what might happen to you if something happened to me. You set yourself back in your career, and you've been ignoring your sister and family and friends. Of course, you and Alex have your share of issues, but those issues are things that can be healed. It is perfectly fine to take time for yourself, but I cannot be your only support, Kara. That's not fair to me, and it is dangerous for your mental health if something happens to me. I could be assassinated tomorrow. What then?"

Kara's shoulders stiffened, spine a little straighter. She sucked a breath, and Lena knew the promise she was going to make. She couldn't do that, not this morning, not when she knew Kara was Supergirl.

"I realize this is what you're used to," she continued, cutting off Kara's words before they left her mouth. "You've only had Alex for so very long it must feel like you only need one person, but it is a lot to ask."

"I know. I'm sorry... I'm used to... I'm used to burying things, shoving them down and covering them up because they are so big... so... deep… it feels like drowning. So, I... I don't... I don't deal with them. I hide them behind smiles and pastels and donuts." Kara waved a hand in the general direction of her clothes rack, dropped her hand heavily into her lap.

"And you're right... normally it's Alex who has to deal with me like this... but she... she hurt me... and we need time to work us out and we need to talk things out, but I don't know how to start." Kara touched her shoulder, ducked to try and find her gaze again.

"I don't want to put that weight on your shoulders, Lena. I really don't and I didn't mean to. You have so much else going on, so much to deal with, and I want to help you with it. I want to be your support, whatever you need, a sounding board, a shoulder to lean on, a snuggle partner or... or like last night... whatever you need me to be until we... until I can sort things out better... I just... I need to know that you'll... everyone else always leaves...when I'm... when I'm not what they wanted or expected or thought I was. I'm not even sure Alex wants to be around me like this."

Kara reached out and covered Lena's hands still balled into fists in her lap. "I need someone who sees me, too, and won't leave. I care about you so much. I want to care for you and not be scared you'll run out the door because you looked like you wanted to run away just before. You kind of look like you want to run away right now, and I… I don't know how to make you stay."

"I'm not going anywhere, Kara." Lena relaxed one fist and turned her hand up, letting Kara slip her fingers in the space she created. They looked at their joined hands, holding onto each other in the silence and thickness of the moment.

"You make me happy, Lena," Kara said. There was no doubt in her voice. There was no fear. "Happier than I have felt in a long time, even before we met. I didn't know there was more happiness than what I had, but there you were. And I want to smile at you and look at you without making you worried or uncomfortable. Last night… last night you needed me to touch you, to make love to you, and that's okay if you needed that. We… we're okay. I'm sorry if you didn't… didn't want to and… "

"We're okay," Lena whispered, cutting off another tearful rant gearing up.

"We're okay, Lena."

Lena sucked a shallow breath and covered her face with her free hand, but Kara was already moving closer. She touched Lena's hair with both hands, waiting for her to reveal her tears or not.

"Hey… Hey, what... Lena," Kara started, not sure what she should have been asking. "This isn't about me, is it?"

Lena shook her head as a sob escaped her mouth. She lowered her hand from her eyes and covered her mouth, trapping the sounds inside of her. She gripped Kara's thigh tightly, knowing she couldn't hurt the other woman.

"I'm sorry, Kara," she cried and dropped her hand to her chest, not quite able to look Kara in the eye. "I didn't mean to... to attack you. I... wanted last night so badly, for so long that I never stopped to consider what would happen when we woke up, and I..." Lena's blunt nails clawed at her chest, trying to tear out the throbbing beneath the skin. Kara covered her hand, pulled it from her chest and held it in Lena's lap.

"We can say what we'd like to convince ourselves that it won't change anything, but it does. I'm…" Lena covered her eyes again. She couldn't do that again, she couldn't. Kara wasn't like her other relationships, and losing her again without explanation would have destroyed Lena.

"You're afraid that if you let me back in completely and trust me again that I'm going to hurt you again because I'm not dealing with my stuff," Kara finished the thought. She got it. Lena had every right to be skeptical.

Lena nodded, and Kara wrapped her arms around Lena. When Lena shifted towards her, Kara slipped a leg behind her back and pulled Lena sideways against her chest, keeping her tight in the embrace. The human wrapped one arm around Kara's back and clutched the other to her own chest.

"I'm not going to stop dealing with this, Lena. I have no idea how long it's going to take me, but I'm trying. I want this. I want you. I want to be who I am, and I'm going to fight for that. This isn't a ploy to get you back into my life. This IS my life, and I'm just trying to figure out how to live it. I'm trying to figure out how to let you into it, really let you in. It's going to be different this time. I'm going to tell Ms. Grant and I want you to meet my friends. You're not going to be my secret that I'm going to abandon in the middle of the night again when I get scared."

Lena turned her face into Kara's chest and let it all out, crying in quiet puffs and tiny sniffles. She wanted to believe it all. Kara rocked her a little, kissed the top of her head. And for that moment, Lena allowed herself to believe. Kara hadn't sent her away after learning about what she'd helped Lex do. She hadn't denied her problems, she'd asked for time. Lena could be patient, for Kara. It was too much, more overwhelming than frightening, so Lena cried and Kara ran a hand through her hair and waited until her chest was soaked and Lena had nothing left to cry. Kara kissed her forehead.

"I know you don't trust me with the coffee maker, but how about some breakfast," Kara said.

Lena hiccupped a little laugh and wiped at her face and Kara's chest. "You've broken three coffee makers that I'm aware of and two of my French presses. How do you manage to destroy your own appliances?"

"It's a conspiracy, I tell you. The toaster is in on it, too."

A chocked of chuckle jumped up from Lena's throat, and she sat up but remained close enough to stay in Kara's arms for another moment.

"Breakfast would be lovely," she said, pulling the sheet back over her chest. It wasn't modesty as much as a thin shield for her bared, wounded heart.

Kara cupped her face with both hands and brushed the remnants of tears away with her thumbs. "Is it okay if I kiss you now?" she asked.

Lena bit her lower lip and nodded, keeping her eyes from looking directly into Kara's. The alien pressed a sweet, brief kiss to her mouth and then her forehead. "Good morning," she murmured against Lena's skin. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara's waist, leaning heavily into the strong body holding her. Kara draped her arms around Lena's back.

"You can lean on me, Lena. I know I have a lot of stuff I need to work through, but I'm here for you. Okay? I won't break if you need me for a night."

Lena nodded and pushed out of the embrace. Kara let her go. "Thank you, Kara."

Kara tucked hair behind her ear as she pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll start breakfast. Take your time getting ready."

Kara left the bed. Lena watched her pull on the jogging pants and baggy t-shirt she'd had on when Lena arrived the previous night. Lena pulled the sheet around her shoulders and wrapped up in it, staring at the wall across from the bed. She hated herself a little bit for letting Lillian rattle her as hard as she had. Her mother always had a way of slithering beneath her skin and tipping everything she believed, about herself, about the world. She'd used Kara to tip it back, but Kara hadn't seemed to mind the using. Lena opened the sheet and looked down her body, touched Kara's mark above her left breast. She noticed the bruises on the back of her hand and held it out in front of her to examine the four purple fingerprints on her skin.

Lena wiggled her fingers, made a fist, spread the digits wide. She'd come closer to having a broken hand than what made her comfortable. Kara wasn't ready to talk about Supergirl, which meant Lena needed to keep her distance while Kara was dealing with the death of her aunt at the hands of her sister, at least in terms of sleeping in the same bed. Kara was going to hurt her, otherwise. She sighed and threw the sheet off with both arms and scooted to the edge of the bed. She knew where Kara kept those giant shirts and grabbed one from the second drawer down in the dresser. The third drawer had her things in it, and Lena slipped into a pair of black boy shorts barely visible beneath the long shirt.

When she emerged, Kara looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Hope pancakes are okay. If not, at least the coffee pot survived," she said, preening a little.

Lena chuckled. She couldn't help it. Kara was a big puppy, with big sad eyes. Lena pulled down two mismatched mugs and set them in front of the perking coffee. She figured Kara broke a lot of stuff besides appliances, and it was too expensive to keep replacing the sets. She wondered how much Kara restrained herself daily to simply not dislocate someone's shoulder on the street if she bumped into them. That alone was enough to cause PTSD hypervigilance, she should know. It wasn't shocking that Kara kept most people locked out of her life. She ran a thumb over the rim of the wide-topped blue mug sitting beside the shorter yellow one. It was kind of like them, two different worlds that worked somehow, and it felt much more like home than her heartless penthouse that was far too large for one person and devoid of any family photos or special stuffed animals or old ragged blankets on the back of her sofa.

She caught Kara around the chest with her arm when she turned from the stove to the island for the pancake batter and clasped her hands behind Kara's neck. "Good morning." Lena said and tipped her mouth up to Kara's.

"Morning," Kara said, grinning against her lips. She squeezed her back with both hands, pulling her closer. Lena knew what those hands could do, how strong they were. When Lena licked Kara's upper lip, sucking it gently, Kara moaned into her mouth. She squeezed two handfuls of Lena's ass and ground Lena's crotch against her thigh. Kara couldn't talk about it, but she knew what to do with a body. And Lena's responded. Those hands had the power to break her, snap her into pieces with one uncalculated movement. Kara never hurt her, still the possibility of it pulsed between her legs. It was the slice of danger, the hint of a threat that she needed to function without the emotional damage of not being asked for her consent or manipulated or controlled. She broke the kiss with a gasp and pushed on Kara's chest.

"We're going to be late for work," she managed, realizing how much she sounded exactly like she felt. She really didn't care.

"You're the boss, and I'm probably going to be unemployed soon," Kara reasoned, fingers flexing, fighting the urge to tug Lena's body against her.

Lena shoved her thoughts to a back corner in her mind and pulled her shirt over her head, reached for Kara's, but the other woman had followed her movements. They came together, mouths moving, hands needy and desperate. Kara tripped a little when Lena pushed on her hips, guiding her backwards. She thought about the bed, the couch was closer, and Kara fell back onto the cushions when Lena gave her shoulders a little shove. It screeched, digging divots into the hardwood, groaned under the weight of the Kryptonian. Kara needed sturdier furniture, Lena noted mentally and pushed the shorts off her hips.

Kara reached for her hips, and Lena smacked her hands away, tsking her like a child. Kara pressed back into the cushion, and Lena held her chin, kissing her chastely. "You can watch," she murmured, feeling Kara nod against her mouth.

Kara was never good at waiting, and Lena felt her burning gaze on her body, following her hands. Lena squeezed her breasts, tossed her head back and moaned. Kara breathed heavily. She looked down at the flustered alien digging her fingertips into her own thighs in her effort to remain passive. Lena moved one hand over her belly, cupped the throb at the apex of her thighs, not even embarrassed by how wet she already was. She spread her stance and slipped her middle finger inside the slick muscles. Kara jerked bodily, reached for her, slammed the sides of her fists into the sofa. Lena smirked, sliding her finger in and out at an excruciatingly slow pace that only frustrated her more, but it had the desired response in the alien licking her lips and swallowing and staring so hard Lena thought she'd gone into a trance.

"Is this what you want?" Lena asked and held out her hand glistening with her body. Kara nodded, eyes still following the hand.

Lena set one knee beside Kara's thighs, bracing against her shoulder with one hand as she straddled her. Kara's hands gripped her thighs, but she behaved, otherwise. Lena touched her fingertip to Kara's mouth, spreading her wetness there before licking it off. Kara shifted and coiled beneath her.

Lena pulled a pillow off the couch and tossed it onto the floor between Kara's feet, dropping to her knees. Kara touched her shoulders. Lena took her wrists and pressed her hands into the sofa beside her thighs as she rose up and kissed her mouth. "Let me take care of you, Kara. Is that alright?"

Kara nodded, already slouched into the sofa. Lena smirked at the glaze in her eyes and hooked two fingers into either side of the elastic waistband of her jogging pants. Kara lifted her hips and spread her legs as tossed them over her shoulder. She was already squirming and lifting her hips, but trying to follow Lena's directives. They both knew they weren't orders and Lena really wasn't able to make the Kryptonian do anything she didn't want to do, but it made things more interesting when they pretended she could. She looked up at the most powerful woman in the world, quivering for her, legs spread, arousal glistening under soft blonde curls.

Lena's fingers dug into her thighs as the CEO leaned forward and placed a kiss on her rock-hard abs, her hips, the inside of her thighs. Her movements were relentlessly controlled, and Kara groaned a little louder in frustration when Lena almost gave her what she needed most only to move her mouth away again. She gripped the back of the couch with both hands, afraid to hurt Lena as worked up as she was. Kara had not been nearly satisfied last night, not her body. The body that Lena knew so well, knew how to touch and when to tease, the body that had taught her the hard way with bruises and slight scares when she pushed too far and Kara lost momentary control of her super strength.

"Look at me, Kara," Lena said, sending her breath over the heat between Kara's legs. The woman complied, eyes a darker shade of blue than they'd been a few minutes ago. Her jaw hung slack, cheeks flushed.

Lena held the gaze as she lowered her mouth and swiped the flat of her tongue through slick skin. Kara's head lulled back, eyes closing. Lena flicked the tip of her tongue on Kara's engorged clit. Kara tasted different than anyone else, sweeter, like her alien DNA didn't need to expel the salt or toxins from her bloodstream. She pressed both hips with her hands, reminding Kara not to buck too hard. Still, she squirmed and moaned, and a hand touched the back of Lena's head, drawing her closer. It wouldn't be long. It never took Kara long to reach that edge.

"Lena, I'm… Lena," Kara moaned. Her knees clamped together, banging Lena's shoulders.

Lena pulled Kara's clit between her lips and sucked hard. A broken string of pants and curses filled the air above her, and Lena looked up to see Kara's body slumped into the cushions, the tips of her fingers through the fabric at the top of the sofa, her chest jumping up and down as a goofy grin spread slowly on her lips. She cracked her eyes and looked down at the woman between her legs. Lena kissed her clit and raised to her full height on her knees. Kara's hand never left her hair, guiding their mouths together.

"Lena," Kara whimpered, and her body shuddered again, breaking the kiss.

Lena smirked, quite pleased with herself, and stood, slipping a knee on either side of Kara's hips. She flipped dark hair over her shoulder and tipped Kara's chin upward.

"What do you want to do to me, Kara?" Lena licked her upper lip, captured it in a chaste kiss. Kara's mouth wasn't moving, just panting heavily.

"I want to… fuck you," she said, faltering slightly at the dirty talk.

Lena loosed a sultry chuckle and touched the hands on her thighs. She watched Kara's face as she pulled them up her body and placed them on her breasts, squeezing Kara's hands over the sensitive mounds hard enough to bring a bite of pain that surged through her body and added to the growing wetness between her legs.

"Ask nicely," Lena teased.

"Please," Kara whispered, eyelids fluttering. "Please let me fuck you with my fingers." Kara had either gotten more comfortable with dirty talk or was desperate enough not to feel awkward. Lena was betting on the latter.

She moved Kara's right hand back down her body and guided the tips of the first two inside of her. Kara groaned, and her head thumped on the back of the couch. Lena sank onto her hand as she leaned forward and captured Kara's lips. Her hand rested against Kara's throat without any pressure, that required a whole other conversation, and she was too worked up to talk.

"Kara," she whispered, and the other woman opened her eyes, looking up from where her head rested against the cushion. "I'd like you to make me come now, darling."

Kara sat up, wrapping her free arm around Lena's hips. She dropped sloppy kisses along Lena's throat. When she wiggled her fingers, Lena cried out, throwing her head back. She pushed on Kara's sturdy shoulders, trusting the other woman to hold her upright, and ground herself onto Kara's hand. She fisted a handful of Kara's hair and guided her mouth to a pert nipple bouncing in front of her face. Kara closed her mouth over it, flicking her tongue gingerly atop the sensitive bud.

"Harder, Kara." Lena tugged her closer, ramming Kara's chin into her ribs with a painful jolt. Kara glanced up at her, and Lena nodded.

She changed the angle of her hips, holding the back of Kara's head as an anchor. Her back and abs burned. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck. Heat pulsed in her belly. Everything was in motion, and the tips of her nerves felt electric.

"Kara," she panted, dangling at the edge, needing something from her partner. She felt a wicked smirk against her breast and almost opened her eyes to glare at the teasing woman.

Kara pressed her thumb against her clit, nipped and tugged her nipple. Lena exploded beneath a thousand pinpricks of pain and pleasure and adrenaline surging through her body. She made no sound, not at first. The electric pulse shooting through her veins paralyzed her. With her head thrown back in a silent scream and Kara's mouth on her chest and her hands clutching Kara's neck and shoulders, she was suspended in a perfect moment where neither good nor evil existed. Reality returned like a crashing plane, and Kara tightened her grip around her back, catching her. She collapsed forward into Kara's shoulder, trembling and shuddering as her orgasm tore through her.

"Fuck, Kara. Fuck… you… fuck… I…" Lena shook again, hands flying everywhere. Her shoulders, her hair, her arms, pushed away the fingers inside of her. Teeth clamped onto the side of Kara's neck, muffling a scream when her fingers came free. The energy pulsing in her belly dissipated, and she dropped her head to Kara's shoulder, panting. Kara breathed heavily, too, probably more overwhelmed than exerted.

Lena giggled and felt Kara's chuckle in her chest before she heard it. Both women laughed, and Lena pushed off her chest with both hands, still shaking. She covered her eyes with one hand and laughed, wiping sweat from her forehead. Kara grinned up at her. Lena dipped down and covered the satisfied expression with her mouth, moving a few times before she needed to breathe again. Giving up, she settled against Kara's shoulder and caught her breath.

"At least we still know how to do that," Lena joked. Kara snorted.

"I didn't know my making breakfast was such a turn on. I should make pancakes more often. Those definitely weren't in my fantasies."

"Did you utilize those fantasies?" Lena asked.

"All fantasies lead to orgasms and pancakes," Kara joked. Of course, Kara had thought about her while she was in Japan. It was probably the only reason Kara had enough to control to have sex without hurting her.

Lena swatted her shoulder and shifted her cheek closer to Kara's neck. She'd not even managed to make teeth imprints. She quelled the urge to run her fingers over the unmarked skin and closed her eyes. Kara's stomach gurgled, and Lena opened her eyes again only to roll them.

"You still owe me those pancakes," Lena said, managing to keep a straight face for two seconds before they were laughing again.

Kara shifted her to the side, laying her back on the sofa. Their kiss was slow and languorous, indulgent even. When Kara pecked her lower lip once more and sat up, it ended all too quickly in Lena's opinion.

"You stay comfy. I'll make breakfast."

Lena tossed one arm above her head and watched Kara slip into her jogging pants on the way to the kitchen. She picked up their shirts from the kitchen floor and tossed Lena's into the sitting area before slipping into hers. Lena chuckled. If the world knew how very normal and unglamorous her life truly was, she'd have lost all sway over the media. She watched Kara a few more minutes and then sat up and dragged her clothes to her with her heel. She stared at them a long time before her muscles felt stable enough to reach down and pick them up. She'd need another shower before she went to L-Corp. Luckily, she'd not scheduled the board meeting until late that morning.

She pulled on the shirt, leaving the shorts on the sofa, and went to the refrigerator. Opening the door, she froze on the spot. She stood there staring long enough for Kara to ask, "You okay?"

Lena glanced up and grinned in response. There was no way Kara had known she was coming last night, no way she could have prepared for this moment. Lena hadn't requested anything. Kara had just done it, just another little gesture of making room in her life for Lena. She pulled out the rectangle container of coconut milk and closed the refrigerator. They were okay.


	21. Chapter 21

My lovelies! I have survived, a little ragged, a lot more stressed, but alas... alive! Something tells me this story will be my salvation during the semester. Thank you for all the reviews and new follows!

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Kara made it to CatCo, only a few minutes late. She slipped into the content meeting in Cat's office without drawing anyone's attention but Ms. Grant's. The CEO eyed her without missing and beat or uncrossing her arms as she inspired and then brow-beat her investigative team. She flipped open her notepad and sank into the words flowing, grateful that no one listened to or noticed her much. It meant she could slip in late, undetected. It didn't matter anyway because she was probably getting fired. The extra time with Lena had been worth it, even if her pancakes tasted like wet paper. How had she messed up pancakes that badly? Kara grinned, felt flush creep up her chest and neck. She had an idea. It probably had something to do with Lena's breasts pressed against her back and the teasing hands on her chest. She stared at her notepad, hand poised but unmoving. Her body still hummed with the feel-good endorphins their morning sex had released. Cat dismissed her crew, and Kara stood beside the door, pretending to be absorbed in the notes she'd not taken. "Enjoy your weekend off, Ponytail?" She had, actually, enjoyed it very much, but she wasn't going to tell Snapper that. She grabbed James' arm and tugged him from the swarm.

"Hey, I know I've been a little distant lately. Game night Thursday? I, uhhh… I have something I want to tell everyone," Kara added. Cat's stare burned a hole into the side of her face, but Kara kept her eyes on his, her smile growing when he gave a little nod.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great!"

She spared a glance at Cat, and he followed her thoughts, squeezed her shoulder, and dismissed himself without comment. Cat watched her with calculated eyes but said nothing when Kara's energy fell somber and she closed her office door, an event rare enough to keep Cat silent. Kara kept her head down, approaching the queen of all media with humility. Cat remained perched at the edge of her chair with a rigid spine and piercing eyes.

"Am I going to need a drink to hear whatever it is you're about to say?"

Kara went to the wet bar and poured her mentor a finger of bourbon, dropped an ice cube into it, and went out onto the balcony without comment. Dropping onto the sofa, Kara crossed her arms over her knees. She shouldn't have worn a dress for this conversation. Her cute little sundresses weren't appropriate for fall temperatures or fashion, but she really liked the yellow one with the little frills of lace at the bottom. Cat appeared, wearing her coat and an expression somewhere between confused and exasperated. Kara couldn't blame her. She was supposed to be her chosen heir, her golden reporter. It hadn't been said, but people weren't wrong when they called her Cat Grant's protégé.

Cat sat at the edge of the cushion beside her and took the glass of bourbon from her hand, downing it in one go. The ice cube clinked when she set the tumbler on the glass-topped table in front of them. Kara stood and paced on the other side with her hands on her hips. The pose made her feel powerful, and she needed that. She loved her job, loved being a reporter. She wasn't going to make her name this way, not with favors and stories offered on a neat and tidy platter that she never worked for or earned.

"Okay, Kara, just… just say it. It's like ripping off a band-aid, not that I know what that's like, but it's…" Kara babbled and paced. Cat watched, eyes moving with her former assistant but not her head. "I should just do it, just… say it. There's not a good way… to … and I… This is the right thing to do, and I…"

"And you should do it before your employer grows old and dies."

"I'm sleeping with Lena Luthor," Kara blurted. Cat's eyes widened, but she wasn't particularly shocked. Cat already knew, Kara realized.

"We're trying to figure out what that means, but…" Kara made a growling sound as she exhaled, waving her arms in front of her like a mad woman. "Oh my god, Ms. Grant, it has been so long and it's so good, and I…"

"Bup bup bup…" Cat cut her off, holding up a hand to emphasize her point, and Kara stopped pacing to look at her mentor. The older woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling as she opened them.

"Nope. No, Sunny Danvers, the less you tell me, the less the board will have to work with in terms of ruining all our lives. Honestly, they are a pack of jackals, and if you think the way they stab me in the back is bad, they will feast on your innards, Kara."

Cat paused for dramatic effect, but the point sunk into Kara's brain and shook in her fingertips. She rounded the table and slumped into the sofa, hands clasped in her lap.

"Now, what I need is bare facts, when it started and when it stopped," Cat continued.

"Oh, it… it started about a year and a half ago. I was still your assistant then. I broke it off a couple of months after she took over Luther Corp. How... how did you know it..."

"Please, Kara, I know you. I see you, better than most I think, better certainly than you think I do. You shone brighter than I thought possible, and then…" Cat waved her hand. "Your work was still impeccable, but suddenly, it lacked warmth and heart, which is something you've always poured into everything you do."

"Oh... thank you," Kara mumbled, not expecting the unprovoked compliment.

"Mmhmm, now, when did it start up again?"

"Just, um, recently... like, very, in the last couple weeks..." Kara stared hard at the corner of the coffee table where the glass looked black from the frame beneath. "I thought I would just do a couple of articles and then move on to something else, but Snapper kept assigning her to me and I remembered how much I love her and how much I was hurting not being with her. And it was okay because we weren't… together, but I think that is changing, and I want it to change even if I don't know exactly what it is changing into, and then you wanted to do the expose, and I…I can't."

"Well, that explains a few things." Cat let the thought linger between them. She grabbed her glass and disappeared into the office.

Kara looked up when she returned. "Ms. Grant… am I... am I fired?"

Cat took a sip of bourbon and sat beside her, much less rigid than before. She patted Kara's arm and sighed. "Not today, Kara, and not ever if I can help it, but for now, let me work and take the day off."

"Ms. Grant?"

"Snapper is going to have an aneurysm when he finds out, so let me worry about him."

"He's going to murder me," Kara lamented and dropped her face into her hands. Cat chuckled and rubbed her back.

"He'll throw a fit about journalistic integrity and bluster and rant, but let's face it, he's not nearly as eloquent as me."

Kara grinned and looked over at Cat, still holding her head in her hands. "That's very true." She was going to be okay. Ms. Grant wasn't angry. Kara chose the truth over notoriety and a promotion, and Cat Grant was going to the mat for her because Kara was protecting her and CatCo, too, by refusing to do the story.

"The articles I've done aren't biased. I made sure," Kara said.

"I know. I read them." Cat finished her second drink, and Kara wondered how many more she would have before the day was over. She'd put her in a precarious position. It would have been easier to fire her and preserve CatCo's integrity.

"Now, off you go." Cat stood and swept a hand towards her office. Kara saw the tension in her shoulders, the stoop of her neck. Very little affected Cat Grant like that, and Kara knew she saw a fraction of the emotion swirling inside of her mentor. She was upset, and there was nothing Kara could do about it. She'd disappointed Cat. "Go Netflix binge something or research the city's budget deficit or whatever it is you do in your spare time."

"And then?"

Kara stood and followed her into the office. Cat returned the glass to the wet bar and turned with her hands on her hips and a determined glint in her eyes.

"And then you let the Queen of all media do what she does best."

"I really thought I was going to get fired." Kara twisted her fingers in front of her belly, not sure if she wanted to run from or hug Cat Grant.

"If this had come out after the expose was published, you would have been, and I would have been the one making that decision," Cat said, casual though the crinkles around her eyes belied the pain that would have caused. "Don't ever walk into another content meeting again unless you are on time."

"Right, yes. Sorry about that… I was…"

"Daydreaming about your girlfriend, yes, I saw you," Cat said in a tone that Kara wasn't quite certain was a teasing tone. She laughed nervously.

"She's not… my girlfriend," Kara mumbled. It was a stupid defense.

"Out, Kara. Do not come to this building again today."

"Right, going." Kara turned to leave, looked over her shoulder. "Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"Don't make me regret it," Cat said with a flip of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Grant. I never meant to disappoint you."

That made Cat stop trying to shoo her away, but the stillness unnerved her more. Tears shimmered in the older woman's clear blue eyes. She clicked her tongue. "Kara." Kara flinched when Cat moved towards her and sank into the hug that moment Cat wrapped her arms around her, giving her a good squeeze.

"I'm not disappointed, Kara," she said close her ear. "I'm proud of you. It's been a challenge getting the world to take CatCo's investigative team seriously. I've gone too far off track with gossip and fashion. You…" Cat pulled back, one hand still on Kara's ribs and the other squeezing her shoulder. "Your criticism the past few years, while irritating, has inspired me to turn a new page for CatCo Media. We won't simply sell papers, we're going to help change the world. I'd have fired you on the spot and given up if you hadn't been honest with me."

"Again," Kara joked, and they shared a little laugh to break the tension.

"Permanently," Cat said with a smile. Kara nodded and hung her head a little. "Is she worth it? The risk of writing puff pieces for the rest of your career here?"

"Ms. Grant…" Kara sighed. "I'll fix my career. You said it yourself that I was lacking something. I just… I know Lena is a Luthor, but I just want someone to be happy about this, as happy as I am."

"Right now, I'm less concerned with your happiness and more concerned about your career trajectory. Please send… Mixie, Miranda…" Cat waved her hand at her new assistant.

"Morgan," Kara said. "Her name is Morgan."

"Yes," Cat hissed and turned towards her desk. "I need to move some appointments."

The tension had returned to her shoulders, and Kara left not quite feeling good about the situation. She relayed the message, took Cat's elevator, and blasted off the roof. Supergirl cruised over the city for a little while, but she wasn't mentally equipped to help anyone. Plus, she had her work bag hooked to her shoulder. There was no clear destination, but when she spotted the cave out in the desert, she knew what she'd been wanting to do without being conscious of it. Landing without her usual flare, Kara walked inside and took the back way around the main room and went into the training room. Alex would be on recon missions right now, monitoring the aliens they'd located to determine if they posed a threat or not.

Lucy was sparring with a man three times her size… and winning. Kara winced when the tiny woman did some fancy flippy thing around the guy's neck and brought him down to the mat with a grunt. She bounced onto her feet, cheeks flushed, adrenaline pumping.

"Hey, Lane," Kara called. "Want a real challenged? I'll even turn on the Kryptonite emitters."

Lucy smirked, and Kara knew that she was going to follow her from the room and into the specialized space where Alex had taught her technique to match her strength. In the end, she'd needed it. Alex had been right about that. Lucy came in a few seconds behind her, towel around her neck and sucking from a white bottle. She closed the door, still holding the bottle in the air and working the liquid down her throat. Lucy tossed it to the floor and pulled the DEO-issued, long-sleeved spandex top over her head and dropped it onto the water bottle. She snagged the towel and rubbed at her sweaty chest as she sat on the raised platform in just her sports bra.

"You didn't call me in here to spar, Kara. What's up?"

Kara sat beside her and twisted her fingers in her lap. Lucy pushed the towel between her breasts and rooted it about trying to get the sweat before it started itching.

"You know DEO procedure and protocol better than anyone here, except maybe J'onn," Kara started. Lucy threw the towel on top of her pile and dropped her hands into her lap.

"Yeah, I'm a lawyer. It's an annoying habit of mine," Lucy said, rolling her eyes at herself. "What do you want to know that you couldn't ask J'onn or Alex?"

"I want to tell someone that I'm Supergirl and about the DEO, but I…"

Lucy chuckled. "Big sis doesn't approve." Kara sighed, nodding.

"I'm stuck. Please, don't… don't tell Alex I asked. I was just… I'm not ready to share everything just yet, but I want to and I don't want to be worried the entire time that my partner is going to be thrown into some black ops site that I don't even know exists."

"This… person… really has you torn up, don't they?" Lucy wasn't lost on the lack of pronouns. Kara really didn't care, but she appreciated the wink and nudge Lucy gave her.

"Enough that if came down to a choice… I wouldn't chose the DEO," Kara confessed.

Lucy blew out a breath, puffing her cheeks. "Okay. Technically, you don't work for the DEO, so revealing that you're Supergirl won't be an issue, but Kara, this place…" Lucy waved her hands around the room. "It doesn't officially exist. I'm assuming the reason you're asking is because this person would be perceived as a threat to the operation. I'm sorry, but if that's the case, there would be no need for an arrest warrant or a trial or anything. The best you could hope for is to get J'onn to read their mind and know that they are telling the truth, but he has to answer to people, too."

"People like your father," Kara murmured.

"And the president and secretary of defense and a dozen other intelligence and national security advisors. If this person is not above reproach, you'll put them in a bad position if someone found out that they knew. The DEO is under constant scrutiny, and if the powers that be thought for a second that J'onn invited someone into the fold who then betrayed the government?" Lucy wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and looked over at Kara.

"Kara, it wouldn't only put this person in danger, but it could start a cascade of events that could land you, J'onn, Alex, and all of your superfriends in prison or worse. I understand how much it eats at you not being able to tell people your whole truth, but… keep this one to yourself because the DEO could become something evil if given to the wrong hands."

"Thank you." Kara grinned over at her. It was the truth, the cold hard truth. It wasn't an impassioned plea from a jaded and controlling sister. It was just the truth, spoken in a neutral tone by someone who knew what she was talking about.

"Sure." Lucy shrugged. She bumped Kara's shoulder a second later and smirked. "Do I get to know more about this mysterious lover?"

Kara laughed, holding the smile as she looked over the room. "Want to come to game night Thursday? It's been a while. James is coming, so if you don't…"

"Sure," Lucy cut her off. "James and I are in a good place, and besides, I think I met someone else anyway."

"Oh? Do tell." Kara pulled one knee onto the platform and turned towards Lucy. She'd forgotten how much she actually liked Lucy. Why had they not hung out more?

"I…" Lucy giggled and covered her face with one hand. "We met at an art gallery. I didn't know he was the artist and bashed one of his paintings."

"Uh oh."

"No, it was good. He said it was the most honest feedback he'd been given and bought me dinner."

"Who would have thought badass Lucy Lane had a thing for artistic guys," Kara joked. Lucy's smile was infectious, and she felt her own mimicking it.

"Tall… artistic guys," Lucy corrected. "Anyway, I'm not putting any pressure on it yet, but it's nice right now."

"I know the feeling," Kara murmured. She and Lena still hadn't defined what they were. It was okay, she hadn't needed a definition to love Lena. They just… were.

"Hey." Lucy punched her shoulder. "Still up for that sparring match?"

Kara went to the panel on the wall and turned on the Kryptonite emitters. She felt the hum of it in her blood neutralizing her super-charged DNA. "You better be ready."

Lucy stood in the center of the mat in a relaxed but poised stance. "Bring it, Kryptonian."


	22. Chapter 22

Hello, my lovelies! Another present for you.

I just wanted to take a moment and speak to the anger rising from the fandom about comments that were made by the cast at the SDCC this past weekend. They were hurtful and degrading, yes, and displayed a type of internalized homophobia that allies don't often realize they are harboring. I'm angry, too, but as a hillbilly dyke living in rural West Virginia, I am accustomed to this type of behavior and deal with barbs and jabs at my culture from the show on a regular basis. Be angry, but also remember to be kind. An open dialogue has always gone farther than screaming. If it helps, take your cues from our queen Katie McGrath. She responded with poise and elegance and spoke against the subtle homophobia in the comments without ever raising her voice or losing her temper, even moments after it happened which would have been understandable. "We go high" because we have to, because privilege and equality has not yet been extended to us in something as simple as representation in the media. Anger is good. It sustains and motivates, but it can also consume. I can't tell you what to do or say, but I do want to say that divisive behavior and rhetoric from both sides has landed our country in the place it is now. The choice is yours how you respond to the situation, and though you may not see the effects, your words will impact another human being on the other side of the screen.

*Steps off soap box*

Thank you for the reviews and new follows! I hope you enjoy! And also, a special shout out to Fouroften who gave a massive assist with Cat Grant dialogue in this chapter and the last one as well! She's the bestest.

Song: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

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Aneko's face froze on the screen for a moment, and Lena rolled her eyes. Her smile, however, never wavered. Her IT people were off the hook just this once but only because the board meeting had gone better than just her way and L-Corp was now branding itself as a technology innovator rather than simply scrambling to steady itself. Biting the tip of her pen, she slouched in her chair, rocking back and forth. Aneko rubbed a hand over her face as the screen unfroze, making Lena miss her even more. Their lives were thousands of miles apart.

"You should go to bed," Lena said, a thread of emotion pulling through her voice. Aneko grinned and propped her chin on her hand. Even on the pixilated screen at two in the morning, Aneko's eyes were sharp and curious.

"I'm glad we're doing this, Lena. I'd begun to think you'd given up on me."

"I had to brush up on my conversational Japanese," Lena joked. Aneko chuckled.

"You know I wasn't serious about that, right? Not for you, anyway. You needed to go live a life, and getting into business with me would have taken that from you." Aneko bit her thumb. "I'm glad you got into bed, though, when you were close by. Too bad you never stayed until morning."

Lena rolled her eyes and sat up, dropping her pen beside her computer. "You wouldn't have liked me nearly as much if you'd had to feed me breakfast."

"I think you would have made a lovely breakfast." Lena closed her eyes, smiling despite the niggling in her belly that this was somehow inappropriate.

"Will your darling be jealous if she hears us flirting like this?" Aneko asked.

"Not after last night," Lena said, her voice dropping into a suggestive rumble. Aneko's eyebrows jumped, smirk tugging at her lips.

"Lena Luthor, you sultry panther."

Lena laughed out loud as her door opened. Jess froze until Lena waved her in, eyes still fixed on her friend across the ocean. "I have to go, Aneko. I look forward to our next chat. I'll keep you abreast of my progress with the distributors."

"Anything involving your breasts is a good conversation."

Lena's eyes finally flipped upward to see her assistant pretending not to listen to the lascivious tone. She closed them and took another deep breath. "Careful, Aneko, my assistant is beginning to think I slept with you for this deal."

Jess bit her lip, hiding the smile but fearlessly met her boss' eyes twinkling with mischief. She knew her boss was more humorous than people thought, and she saw that more than anyone. Her mouth busted into a toothy grin, and Lena returned it. She felt like she could conquer the world today.

"Is she single?" Aneko asked. "What does she look like?"

"Goodbye, Aneko. Go to sleep." Lena shut the laptop and folded her hands on top of it.

"You're in a good mood," Jess said and then clapped a hand over her mouth. Lena blinked, blank expression unchanging. Her assistant's eyes widened, smile fading, and she wrung her hands in front of her hips. "Gabriella called, ma'am. She wanted to know if you were free for lunch."

"Sure," Lena chirped and opened her laptop. She winked at the flabbergasted young woman. "You make my schedule, surely you can find a free hour for the consumption of food."

"O… Okay." When she made no move to leave, Lena looked up at her again, confused. "It's nice to see you happy, Ms. Luthor."

"It's nice to feel happy," Lena said without her usual defensive claws when her employees tried to get too close to her. Jess nodded once and took a step back before turning and leaving the room.

Lena printed off the new proposal from the manufacturers and distributors and spread them out on her desk, but she was as interested in looking at them as she was in looking at her mother again. In a way, she felt she owed Lillian gratitude because if she hadn't made Lena doubt herself, last night with Kara never would have happened. They'd have never said the things they'd been holding back, and Lena wouldn't have a firm grasp on the trust she'd thought had slipped through her fingers permanently. She'd faltered, and Kara had caught her. She'd let Kara catch her. Picking up her phone, Lena braced both elbows on the desk and pulled up Supergirl's Twitter feed. Photos from that morning popped up, messages and hearts, Supergirl helping install the new ovens at the soup kitchen, dishing out food. Kara had been busy already that morning.

Closing the app, she tapped on her messages, fingers poised to send Kara a text. Her intercom buzzed, but Jess said nothing. Squinting at the machine, she hit the intercom button. Jess never answered. When the double doors flew open, Lena's entire body went rigid, ready to fight. Cat Grant strolled into her office, arms still poised where she'd thrown open the doors like a conqueror.

"I am so sorry, Ms. Luthor, she just…"

Lena waved a hand, cutting off her assistant, leaned back in her chair, quirked a brow and smirked at Cat sauntering towards the desk, running her eyes over her office. Jess' hands trembled mildly, something not everyone would have noticed in her stalwart assistant who had stood up to Lillian a time or two. A pinprick of anger flushed her cheeks, wondering just what Cat had said or done before she barged in.

"It's alright, Jess, thank you. Will you move my next meeting back an hour and ask Gabriella to postpone our lunch?"

"Ye-yes, Miss Luthor." Lena smiled warmly and gave her a nod. As she backed out and pulled the doors closed, Lena looked at Cat.

"Not even my mother can instill that kind of fear in my assistant. I'd appreciate it if you didn't terrorize her any more. Good, loyal people are hard to come by." Lena held the cool gaze of the media queen, and understanding passed between them. She got one pass, and that was more than she'd ever given anyone who misspoke to Kara.

"You presume I'm going to be stopping by unexpectedly more often." Cat crossed her arms, and met her with a level gaze without being condescending despite her position above the scientist.

Lena stayed pressed into the back of her chair to hide the involuntary shiver trying to break free from her body. Cat Grant had known her mother before Lex's breakdown. She'd written articles about the genius Luthor son before Lena even entered her first science competition. But they were equals now, CEOs of powerful companies who loved the same woman in very different ways but with the same intensity and depth.

"I presume since you are here and Kara is not, something has happened. Something professional and personal, since Kara is your former assistant and protégé." Lena took a breath and flicked her eyes back and forth, searching for a crack in Cat's steady gaze. "You wouldn't make a trip over here for anything else."

"I always said you were smarter than your brother."

Lena's eyebrow jumped, and she stood, running her hands anxiously over her blouse and straightened her skirt before moving to the wet bar. She reached for the water but after a second changed her mind and grabbed the scotch, pouring two tumblers. Cat took the drink offered, blasé smirk on her mouth. Giving Lena a little lift of the glass, she downed a swallow. Lena took a more moderate sip and swept a hand towards the sofa. Cat Grant made her uncomfortable, mostly because Cat Grant never seemed uncomfortable. She had the same effect on most people.

"So, is this some kind warning? Tell the resident Luthor to stick to the straight and narrow?" Lena asked as she sat and crossed her legs away from Cat. She wanted to flee, to make up some non-existent meeting, but this confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later. She just hadn't expected it to be sooner. She raised her drink to her lips, wondering how many was too many before noon.

"Please, you're hardly straight," Cat murmured, setting her purse on the coffee table, and settled herself on the couch as if this was her office. Lena choked on her drink, barely able to swallow without sucking it up her nose and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while Cat took in her reaction with amused eyes.

"And besides," the media queen continued, "you already know I can ruin you in an afternoon if I wanted to. I don't see why I should threaten you any more than I'm sure you already are."

"That's..." Lena finally looked at Cat, twisting her neck without raising her head. The older woman almost smiled. "That's not what I was expecting," she admitted.

"Always be unpredictable, keeps things interesting," Cat said, but it lacked her usual bite. She looked tired, Lena realized, and she studied her carefully as Cat settled more comfortably into the pillows and cushions. The older woman stared at something across the room.

"As you've seen fit to grace me with your presence, can I assume that Kara has told you about our... relationship?"

"She has," Cat confirmed with a little nod. "Not in any details, I didn't ask for them."

"Really?"

"This may come as a surprise to you, Lena, but I am not by nature a gossip. Yes, I worked the gossip column of the Daily Planet for years but that was to get my foot in the door, to carve out a place to be heard, to tell truths, which is what I am about. Truth is the corner stone of my empire, and the truth of this matter is that Kara is very dear to me, yes, but she is also a valuable employee who has been put in a very difficult position during a time in her life when she needs less stress not more."

"What does that mean?" Lena's spine tensed and she met Cat's gaze without wavering.

"It means her career is in jeopardy, and only if you and I come to an agreement, can we help her," Cat explained, lips curling like they left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You can't keep her job safe yourself?"

"You more than anyone know the delicate balance we must strike between professional and personal. I have done all I can to assuage Kara's immediate superior that there has been no journalistic bias in Kara's previous articles."

"Snapper?"

"Yes, he presumed to tell me how to run a newsroom, I reminded him whose name is on the side of the building, but not the point…" Cat twirled her fingers, flicking away the thought. "If your continued personal relationship with Kara were to become public knowledge, it would create an avalanche of backlash that possibly not even I could save her from. So, we are going to preemptively avoid that kind of catastrophe."

"We are?" This was not what she had expected.

"Yes, as two of National City's most powerful people, we can write the narrative however we see fit. The truth will be told the way we wish it to be told."

"And just how do we go about that?"

Cat's expression glazed a little bit, and she crossed her legs wistfully. She'd wanted this, wanted Lena under her thumb, and she'd turned the situation to her advantage. Lena supposed it was fair; they all got something out of the arrangement.

"You give us exclusives, about you, about L-Corp, your work, your donations, hell, what your favorite color is. I don't really care, but, you speak to me and only to me," Cat laid it all out, cool as the wind coming off the river.

"And in exchange for this... all access pass? What do you want in return?" Lena asked. It was too easy, and this wasn't only a bargain that affected her. Surely, Cat had no ulterior motive, not where Kara was concerned.

"Just that," Cat said. "You speak to me and me alone, no other media outlet. Let's face it tabloids and gossip rags don't count. You deal exclusively with me and I will do my level best to ensure you receive fair treatment in the media."

Lena clenched her jaw for a moment and dropped her gaze to the drink cradled in her hands. She raised her eyes to the small vase of plumerias on her table, thinking about Kara. This was for Kara. The reporter had sacrificed an important step in her career, and now Lena was faced with a sacrifice of her own, one she made willingly.

"And Kara?" Lena asked, pinning Cat to the sofa with protective, angry eyes.

"She'll keep her job and her reputation of journalistic integrity and CatCo will keep one of its rising stars and avoid a major scandal. She won't be able to go to any of your fancy events as a journalist anymore, but I imagine you can persuade her to go on a more… personal level." A wry, knowing smirk spread on Cat's lips before she downed the last of her scotch.

"You did this. You assigned her the expose to force her hand, didn't you?" Lena had to admit it was clever and subtle. Cat's style.

"I assigned the expose because I had a moment of doubt about her integrity given her behavior the last few months. It is a moment I regret because I've come to learn over the last three years that Kara Danvers will not let me down, no matter how many times I fire her."

Lena chuckled and looked towards the door. "I've fired Jess once already, after a particularly stressful call from my mother. She was waiting for me with coffee the next day as if nothing had happened. I never brought it up again."

The older woman patted her arm, and Lena looked down at the hand touching her affectionately, clamping down on the hunger for a mentor, a mother. It would never be, not for her. She leaned forward, slipping away from Cat's hand, and set her empty glass on the table.

"Do you think this will keep her job safe? She loves her work, Cat. I don't think she would ever consider doing anything else, and I don't want to be the reason she loses it."

"It'll be a tough sell. Snapper is a horrible human being, but his integrity is above reproach and he has a knack for making good reporters great. Trust me, I would never have subjected Kara to him if I didn't think he could help her become the kind of journalist I know she can be."

Lena nodded and bit her lip, worrying it a moment before she sipped her drink.

"You might also come under fire, Cat, seen to be playing favorites."

Cat scoffed, waving away the thought. "Please. I've handled far worse, and besides, two powerful female CEO's shattering glass ceilings and taking on the world… That's the kind of story that sells and it's the only story people will get unless I say otherwise."

"It's good to be the queen." Lena smiled genuinely.

"Yes, it is. Now," Cat set up straighter and put her glass on the table, angling her knees towards Lena. "Do we have an agreement or would you prefer something in writing?"

"Legality comes into play if we put anything to paper and I would prefer not to involve lawyers in my personal business, since that is precisely what this is." Lena nibbled her lip and scraped her thumbnail over her palm. "Unless, of course, you are unwilling to trust the word of a Luthor."

"I trust a Luthor as much as I trusted the fish after Supergirl's oil slick incident." Lena clenched her jaw, head bowing under the words. "But I trust you, Lena."

Lena raised her head so quickly she felt pressure behind her eyes. Cat smiled, gentle and unlike the raging bitch Lena remembered her to be. Many nights, she'd watched her mother and brother seethe from the words Cat Grant: Rising Daily Planet Star had used to shred their integrity and likability in the media.

"If there is a topic or line of questioning I am unwilling to answer?" Lena asked.

"Then I'll ask you if you prefer winter or summer," Cat answered flippantly. "Honestly, I'm not looking to dig up painful memories or emotional scars, Lena. I..." The older woman met her eyes for just a moment and then turned her gaze towards the balcony.

"I remember your brother, the way he was... before... And I remember you at all those galas and fundraisers and parties your family used to throw. Little Lena Luthor with her bright, curious eyes and always carrying a book."

Lena knew she was staring, and she knew her eyes were wide and that her lips were parted. She was shocked, and for once, she was unable to hide it. Cat Grant had seen her. No, she'd not simply seen her, she'd observed her, studied her. She knew she was different from her family, and she knew how difficult it was to fight against a mother's disapproving gaze every step of the way. Cat cleared her throat, not quite meeting Lena's eyes when she came back into herself.

"I am looking for a way to tell your story without dragging your family's name back into the spot light, by making you the story. You, Lena, nothing else. It helps that you are in a somewhat stable ongoing relationship with a walking personification of sunshine, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. It'll sell, it'll make money, it'll tell a different narrative about you that just might get people to look at you and not see a Luthor. With any luck, you might even snag the title of National City's hottest new power couple." Cat smirked, and Lena laughed, taken in by the older woman who was offering such vulnerability. She wanted Cat to like her, and not just because she was important to Kara. She wanted Cat to like her because the woman was giving her a chance based on her own merits.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Lena murmured, grinning.

She liked the sound of it, could see the photo of Kara in a killer dress with her hand protectively on Lena's back as they stopped to pose for a photo on their way into a party or awards ceremony. Lena smiled, breath audible as it slipped between her lips. She glanced up to find Cat's glacier-blue eyes studying her.

"There would be stipulations involving Kara's privacy." Lena clamped down on her dream of living openly with Kara and steeled her resolve. "I will not allow her to be dragged out into the public eye and have her life turned into a media circus. You can send your vultures after me if and when this breaks. I'm not unaccustomed to dodging reporters on my way into the office, but if I see a single CatCo photographer, reporter, or intern outside of Kara's apartment, her favorite coffee shop, anywhere, our agreement ends. I will not speak to anyone, not you, not the Daily Planet, no one. I will become a mute, am I clear?"

Cat chuckled. "Perfectly. I will do my utmost to keep as much of Kara's personal life out of the media as possible, I may be queen but there is only so much power I can exert over things, what with the internet, Twitter and Instagram and everything else, but, as someone who cares for Kara, I will do my best, Lena. You have my word."

"And in regards to Supergirl?" Lena pushed on.

"Mmm?" Good, she'd surprised Cat Grant, not an easy task.

"She has saved my life a number of times, saved my company. She is National City's darling. I would like to believe we have become allies if not proper friends. Can I assume this media fairness will extend to her?"

The older woman slipped one hand into the other atop her knee without looking away from Lena. Cat almost looked like she wanted to laugh, and Lena felt the same giddy emotion in her own chest. Cat knew Kara's secret identity. Of course, she knew. Cat's expression grew more lascivious, and Lena swore she flicked her eyes to Lena's neck, her wrists, checking for bruises. The reporter said nothing, but Lena's entire chest and face flushed anyway. Cat knew that she knew, and now she knew that it turned her on, too.

"I helped create… _Supergirl_." The queen flicked her hand, preening a little. "I branded her, I'm even privileged enough to give her advice from time to time, and like your, I would like to consider myself her friend and ally, so yes, I will protect her as much as she deserves to be protected."

Lena smirked and ran a hand through her hair, trying to compose herself. "So, going forward?"

"Going forward, you and I will exchange numbers. I'm a little surprised I don't have it already but considering the effort you go to remain mysterious…"

Lena chuckled a little and shook her head, grateful that Cat hadn't made a bigger deal out of her sex life. "Not mysterious, just private."

"Mmhmmm," Cat hummed and clasped her hands around the front of her knee. "Keep up the mysterious alluring act, Lena, it works for you. Anyway, if we can both carve out some time this week, I'll have my first round of interview questions ready to go."

"You'll have your people call my people?" Lena gave her a cheeky grin, reveling in the sight of Cat Grant rolling her eyes.

She clicked her tongue. "That line is so cliché, but sadly, yes."

Cat stood up to leave and gathered her purse from the table, checking her phone as it chimed several times. She looked expectantly at Lena who startled and spit out her cell number, and Cat's fingers kept moving over the keys. Lena heard her phone vibrate across the room at her desk, and still Cat tip-tapped furiously at the device.

"You'd think I was running a kindergarten, not a media conglomerate with the way I need to wet nurse these idiots. Honestly, it's like they can't even dress themselves," Cat complained. Lena thought she looked tired again, the lines of her face deepening. Either Cat was getting old, which she doubted, or this situation with Kara ate at her from the inside.

"I understand the frustration all too well," Lena offered her a connection neither of them often shared.

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Cat smiled without looking up and made for the door typing, content to let herself out. Lena stood up and followed a couple of steps, watching the other woman with mild bewilderment and amusement.

"Oh, and Lena." Cat turned around, head still bowed to her phone. "Can you not sext or flirt with Kara right before content meetings? It leaves her in such a state she can barely focus."

Lena laughed and crossed her arms loosely below her breasts. "I can't really make that promise. She makes it far too tempting." The scientist smirked, and the reporter rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but just so you know she becomes absolutely useless for at least an hour after one of your phone calls. It's even worse than before your momentary breakup. Before she was sunshine and rainbows, and now she's sunshine, rainbows and a basket of puppies. I don't know what else she has going on but you make her deliriously happy."

Lena looked at her fingers fidgeting in front of her stomach and chewed the inside of her jaw. "Is this the part where you threaten me?" She forced her eyes to raise to Cat's but found nothing there to gauge the mood of the other woman.

"She makes me feel the same way," she said, opting for truth instead of defensiveness.

"Good, you both deserve it, but honestly, no more sexting during work hours. That goofy grin on her face is so not subtle." Lena chuckled, nodding because she knew it was true. Cat took exactly one step closer, controlling her movements like Lena was a scared, wounded animal. Maybe she was.

"I know you're a certified genius, Lena, with more letters after your name than the alphabet, but if you need advice, guidance, someone who understands…" Cat waved her hand in the general direction of Lena's phone on her desk and looked at her screen as it lit up again. "Well, you have my number."

Lena hung her head so far the muscles between her shoulder blades stretched and strained. She twisted her fingers until her pale skin tinged red and her knuckles ached. Her lungs searched for air that wasn't coming. Tears burned behind her eyes. Cat clicked her tongue, and Lena spared a glance at her.

"Please, Lena, that wounded kitten expression doesn't suit you. I watched you grow up in your brother's shadow, ignored and forgotten, for a boy with half your intelligence and none of your humanity. Surpassing every expectation ever had of you will sell papers and irritate Lillian Luthor, which is icing on my cupcake." Cat smirked and left before Lena formulated a response.

She felt… good?

"Ma'am?" Jess appeared in front of her, and Lena smiled.

"It's alright, Jess. Please leave a space open on Thursday or Friday for an appointment with Ms. Grant, two hours if possible."

Jess nodded but didn't leave. "Ma'am, your mother is downstairs."

"Please call down to security and have Ms. Grant escorted to her vehicle and have my mother removed from the property. I've had enough dramatics for one day," Lena instructed, kindly. It wasn't Jess' fault. Her assistant nodded and left.

Lena went back to her desk and slumped into her big, comfy chair. She snagged her phone, ignored Cat's text with just her name, and went back to Supergirl's twitter account. Kara must not have been at work, safely tucked behind her hero persona and away from the negative backlash of their union and Snapper Carr's abuse. She pulled up the L-Corp account, typed _Please let me know if you need anything, Supergirl!,_ and posted it without a second thought. With Cat Grant's help, the world would see a different Lena Luthor, and it started with Lena herself, because she had had the strength to be honest and display integrity and humanity. She stood up, and now people were gathering behind her. A little blue dot showed a notification, and Lena clicked on it, hoping it wasn't some idiot complaining on social media.

 _My cape is at your service, Ms. Luthor._

Lena grinned and hit the button at the side of the phone, sending it into darkness. A new Lena Luthor, indeed.


End file.
